Now What?
by opalpendragon
Summary: Kagome always did hate wishes. Finding herself in a bizarre world where boys have monkey tails and dinosaurs roam? Well, at least she's not going to get bored... (Begins several years after completing the jewel in the Inuyasha storyline [AU, of course] and just after the first World Martial Arts Tournament in DB.) Typical disclaimers: I own nothing.
1. Chapter 1

If there was any one phrase that Kagome hated more than anything, it was 'I wish'. For the past five years of her life, those words had haunted her every waking moment - whether directly or indirectly because of the wish-granting jewel that she'd been born with wedged in her hip. Either way, they were the bane of her semi-immortal existence.

Her current situation was no different.

Getting adopted into the House of the West was supposed to make things easier on her with the whole 'constantly getting targeted' thing. It was supposed to get all of the ambitious jerks that were after the jewel off of her back once and for all.

It was not supposed to land her where she currently was, fighting for her life against the Lord of the East and his whole freaking army. Why the hell had Sesshoumaru named her a diplomat, anyway? So yeah, she was still unmarried, but she was only twenty! That didn't mean that she had to take a mate right now, wherever she could find one. The only reason that the demon had gone so far in the first place was because he knew that she would never go for a political mating and he needed some way to parade her in front of possible suitors. Because he was a conniving bastard with a god complex.

When (if) she got back, she was slinging a rosary around his damn neck.

"Well, well, well," Suzumiya drawled as she was pushed back into a corner. "Look what we have here, my friends... A little lost bitch, all alone in the wilderness."

She glared at the male. She was adopted by the West, yes, but she was still human; if she hadn't had four years to get used to being called 'bitch', she would have been more than just a little bit insulted. Instead, she bared her teeth at the stupid bird in a threatening grin. "So, what?" she goaded. "We've got a girl claimed by dogs, a pheasant that thinks he's too pretty for his feathers, and a fight over something stupid. All we need now is a monkey and a boy that was born from a peach!"

The idiot snarled and rushed her, but she quickly ducked his swipe to slam her bow into his ribs. Yet again, she cursed herself for not bringing any other weapons - her arrows had run out not ten minutes into the battle and now her strength was more than halved thanks to the constant barrier that she was having to keep up in order to discourage any demons weaker than a general from coming within fifty feet of her. Moreover, she was still bound by the treaties between the East and the West. She was on their land, and therefore most of her reiki was sealed away by the House of the Moon insignia tattooed on her left shoulder.

It aggravated her to no end that the blow didn't kill her opponent, but the crunch and subsequent collision with the cliff face off to her side was rather satisfying. The darting of his two generals to fill his place was not.

She managed to fight them off for another twenty minutes, but she ended up pinned way faster than was acceptable. That was what she got for slacking off in her training... Quickly, in a manner that they wouldn't notice, she began to pump her wounds with healing ki. Her barrier had fallen the moment that the archers had been called off, and now she was just praying that she got the chance to channel that energy back into her body before a wish could be made. All they would have to do was touch her with the intent of using it and the Shikon would wake up faster than she could seal it back down. And if the Shikon was used before she could seal it back down, she would be as good as powerless for at least a month.

If she was lucky, he would be like all the other idiots that had come close before him and would spend the next twenty minutes or so monologuing like a pretentious ass.

The Lord stared down at her with a look of haughty superiority that had nothing on her adopted brother's, but that didn't stop her from wanting to smash his face in. She'd been living with dog demons for nearly half a decade; maybe those mentalities had sort of rubbed off on her own way of thinking.

... A lot.

Suzumiya gave her a sick grin and crouched down, placing a hand on her cheek in mock gentleness. "I wish," he purred, "for ultimate power to be laid before me."

Oh, for the love of-!

xxxx

Goku stared curiously at the four people that had just appeared out of nowhere in the middle of his nap, trying to decide whether they were friendly or not. They looked kind of weird, that was for sure, but he'd known a lot of other people that looked way weirder than just having feathers for hair; most of them were alright, even if it took a bit for them to come around.

"What... What the hell is this?!" the one dressed the fanciest demanded, kicking the girl (at least he thought that she was a girl, but he really couldn't be sure without checking) in the face. She didn't even make a sound, convincing the boy that she wasn't conscious - though how anyone could fall asleep in the middle of a fight was beyond him. Because looking at them now, they had definitely been fighting. There was too much blood and a couple too many bruises for it to be anything else.

"Hey!" he frowned. "That's really not very nice. Didn't anyone ever tell you that you're not supposed to hit someone when they're down?"

The man twitched before turning on him with a violent snarl. "Silence, filth!"

He blinked, head tilting to one side. "So... Is that a no...?"

"KILL HIM!" the stranger shouted, jabbing a finger towards him violently.

Goku blinked once more before grinning. That was a language he could understand!

It was really disappointing when the men ended up running away not even ten minutes into the fight, though. Now he was just going to have to hope that the girl (again, he would have to check that) could give him a better workout when she woke up.

xxxx

They had found out, shortly after Inuyasha had accidentally made a wish on her right after the final battle, that the miko was now the human version of the stupid Shikon Jewel in more ways than one. He'd been hugging her and murmured this wistful little "I wish Kikyou could have been here to see this," and wham. Every last drop of power had rushed out of her in the most painful surge that she had ever felt and there stood Kikyou herself when she opened her eyes again... sort of.

Ghosts didn't exactly stand in the strictest of senses, but there she was. Kagome, on the other hand, was left so weak that she couldn't even move.

Of course, the wish still hadn't been pure-there was no such thing as a pure wish, she had figured that out a long time ago. The real secret, though? The jewel wasn't pure, either. Any wish that it 'granted' was twisted into something darker. Case in point: Kikyou was there to see them, but she was still dead. The only real difference from her previous undead lifestyle was that she was incorporeal this time, and Inuyasha (in his infinite stupidity) had thought that he would remedy the situation by making another wish the moment that the living priestess regained some of her strength a month later.

"I wish that Kikyou had her own body again" didn't exactly go over that well, either. She ended up possessing Kaede against her will, her little sister's spirit getting ejected and passing on to the afterlife in the process.

Needless to say, she had killed him and then herself. Only this time, it was for good-and Kagome had gone through a three month recovery instead of just the one. She was in constant pain throughout the whole thing, with only her friends to look after her as she mourned the loss of her first love and his betrayal, and the news had spread that the Shikon was still around in a new vessel. Her.

Sesshoumaru had showed up and taken her in several weeks later, if only to keep the jewel out of the hands of those that would use it (her) for their own gain. She knew that it was in a lot of ways only so that he could claim her as an asset of the West, but she still appreciated it more than she could ever say.

She just wished that he would stop trying to marry her off. She would continue her line in her own time, when she found the right guy, and under no one's agenda. It wasn't like she was going to be dying any time soon, so why bother rushing into something?

"Heeeeeyyy!" a voice shouted, paired with someone shaking her shoulder and forcing her back into the realm of consciousness. "Hey, are you alright?"

Her eyes cracked open slowly, the already expected ache pounding through her skull and leaving her nauseous. A boy crouched over her, clothed in bright orange with an almost blank look of concern on his face. Behind him, all she could see was desert.

Which should not have been possible, seeing as how the East was covered in mountain ranges and countless forests...

"Oh, shit," she murmured weakly, very shortly before passing out again.

xxxx

He waited impatiently for the girl (he'd gone ahead and checked after she'd fallen back asleep, so now he was sure that she really was one) to wake up, but the sun was already starting to set and she hadn't so much as budged. Finally, he just pulled her up on the Nimbus with him and kept going. He wanted to find out who she and those other guys were, why they had been fighting, and how they'd managed to just poof into existence like that - but he really needed to find his grandpa's dragon ball, too.

"Let's see," he spoke to himself as he pulled out the radar he'd gotten from Bulma, doing what he had seen her do more than once and clicking the button a few times until a little yellow light showed up. "Got one! Sure looks real far away..."

It was a good thing he had Nimbus, or he'd be in some big trouble.

He - well, they - flew on for a good while, even after the sun went down completely. He ended up dozing off next to the girl after it had gotten dark, thinking to himself that maybe he should have just doubled back and taken her to Master Roshi's island instead. The others would've been able to look after her much better than he could, and the master never seemed to mind having a girl around. Goku might not be able to tell if this one was supposed to be pretty or not, but she did smell good; that had to count for something, right?

When he woke up the next morning, they didn't look to have gotten very far - and he was really thirsty. Ushering the cloud back up into the air tiredly, he felt his tongue fall out of his mouth as the day wore on.

"Water..." he mumbled, glancing around this way and that. "Need some water..." Finally, he saw something shiny off in the distance and perked up. "Hey!" As it got closer, he felt a bright smile part his lips. There was some water - and a lot of it! "Big puddle!" he announced excitedly, bringing the Nimbus down so that he could get a drink and maybe go for a swim.

For the first time since she'd passed out, he heard his new companion shift around a bit. He turned around from getting his drink, a little water still dripping down his chin, and stared at her. Blue eyes met his own as they opened, and he gave her a wide grin.

"You're awake!" he announced happily. "I'm Goku. What's your name? You want some of this water I found?"

She stared at him blankly for a long moment before heaving a sigh. "Sure," she agreed as she joined him right on the shore. He frowned when he saw how slow she was moving, how it almost looked like every step hurt - but she didn't say anything, so neither did he. His grandpa had always told him to be as nice to girls as he could be, after all. "I'm Kagome," she told him with a weak smile, leaning down next to him and bringing some water up to her mouth with her cupped hands. From the way she started drinking after that, he would almost say that she was even thirstier than he had been.

"So what were you doing with those guys anyway, Kagome?" he questioned, watching her curiously once she had finally drank her fill.

The girl stiffened a bit, her face shifting with... fear? Well, that made no sense. Why was she afraid? Had she done something bad? Or maybe had those men done something bad to her? Either way, he really didn't like that expression on her.

"Hey, it's fine!" he rushed to assure. "You don't have to tell me. I just really wanted to ask how you showed up out of nowhere like that, but I can take you to the next town if you want."

She was quiet for a long time, studying him with a cautious glint in her eye. Finally, she slumped a bit and shook her head. "Sorry to be so suspicious, Goku. You seem like a really nice kid, I just don't know if I can trust you yet."

Goku grinned reassuringly at her. "That's okay! Hey, do you want to go swimming?"

The girl blinked at him twice before smiling. "That sounds good."

He liked this girl, he decided. She was a lot nicer than Bulma, even if she was still a little weird about him taking all his clothes off before diving in.

xxxx

Kagome heaved a sigh (it felt like at least her tenth in as many minutes) as she dunked her head under the crystal-clear water. She wasn't in the East anymore, so at least that meant that her reiki was going to be faster to recover - but this sure wasn't the West, either. She was in a completely different world, yet again, and her only company in it was a boy no older than her little brother had been the last time she'd seen him... four years ago.

Kami, that was a scary thought. Souta was sixteen already, and she'd completely missed a whole quarter of his life...

She shook it off quickly. Ever since the well had closed, she'd done her best not to think about what she had lost on the other side; it made her depressed, and Sesshoumaru was plenty fond of telling her just how poorly that emotion effected her scent. It was better to live in the here and now and leave all the 'could have been's for when she was sleeping.

When she resurfaced, the boy - Goku - was staring up at the sky with his jaw slack... and she could hear someone shouting off in the distance.

"It's Nam!" he announced worriedly, hurrying to swim back to the shore.

"Goku?" she called after him, her eyes wide as she followed him as quickly as she could manage in her weakened state. "Goku!"

"Wait here, Kagome!" he shouted as he rushed to dress. "I'll be right back, okay!"

The priestess watched as he called a cloud to him, hopped on, and flew off. She gaped up at his disappearing form, slowly processing that he had just ditched her in the middle of a desert oasis. Which was better than the desert proper, sure, but not by a whole lot.

She felt her eye twitch. "GOKU!"

Okay, so she couldn't be sure - but her new 'protector' might be even worse than her last. If she ever heard the brat start making a wish, she was out of there.

With a weary sigh, she sank back into the water.

xxxx

Goku felt like he was forgetting something. He had no idea what he could be forgetting, but he just knew that something was bugging him... Something... Wow, the stars were pretty out here. And that sparkly stuff on the horizon seemed kind of familiar-

"Oh, no!" he shouted, beginning to freak out. "Kagome!"

He was back on Nimbus in an instant, glancing around this way and that in a panic for the big puddle that they'd found earlier. To his relief, that sparkly stuff turned out to be exactly what he was looking for. Putting on an extra burst of speed, he flew down to the little island in the middle.

"Kagome! Kagome!" he called, scanning the water worriedly. "Oh geez, what if she never got back to shore? Kagome!"

"What?" a dry voice questioned from right behind him, making him jump.

The boy swiveled around so quickly that his head spun, but was definitely relieved when he saw the girl that he'd been trying to find just sitting there, staring at him. "Yay!" he cheered, running up and swinging his arms around her neck. "You're okay!"

She stiffened for a second, seeming surprised at the contact, but slowly returned the hug and let out a quiet snicker. "If you were that worried, what made you run off like that?"

"Oh, it was my friend from the martial arts tournament!" he explained as he pulled away from her. "He was getting carried off by this really huge bird, so I had to go help him. I'm sorry I just left you here all alone."

"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes and gave a pained grunt as she stood up, but seemed to forgive him for messing up. Again, he was really relieved - Bulma would've pounded him.

Maybe not all girls were that strange after all. Launch was pretty nice, too, come to think of it... even if she did have that other side of her that came out when she sneezed. That was kind of scary. But this might not be so bad! If Kagome felt like it, maybe she would even keep him company while he found his dragon ball! She could actually sit on Nimbus (unlike Krillin) and it was nice having someone around. He'd gotten really used to that the last few months.

The boy grinned. "Hey, do you wanna help me find my grandpa?" he offered, even as he heard Nam and the villagers make it to the outer shores and start gawking about some moving lake or something.

She blinked down at him, becoming concerned. "Your grandpa's missing?"

He shook his head, a little confused. "No, Grandpa's dead - but the dragon ball he gave me is out there somewhere, and I really need to get it back."

There was a beat of silence, right before she snorted. He could have been wrong, but he was pretty sure that she was fighting down a smile when she started scolding him. "Then maybe you should have asked if I wanted to help you find your grandpa's memento instead of him. What do your parents think of you being out here all on your own?"

His head tilted to one side, his brow furrowing. "Memen... to?" he repeated. "Parents? What are those things?"

She stared down at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Don't joke with me, Goku."

He frowned at her. "I'm not! What are they? Are they something you can eat? I am really hungry."

Her eye twitched, but it seemed like she wasn't going to tell him. That was frustrating; all these new things in the world, and no one ever wanted to sit down and explain them to him! Oh, well... He was starting to get used to that, anyway.

"Come on," he sighed. "Let's go help them get some water back to the village. Nimbus!"

The girl caught his shoulder as they got up on the cloud, her expression weirdly serious. "A memento is a thing left behind by someone who died, as something to remember them by. And parents are the people that bring us into the world - a mother and a father."

He blinked at her in surprise as she settled down and they took off across the water, feeling a wide grin split his lips. "Hey, Kagome?" he asked.

She looked over at him, giving him her full attention. "Yes?"

He grinned even wider. "How are people brought into the world?"

Really, he had no idea why she turned so red.

xxxx

A/N: Alright, so probably not what people would be expecting from me. For one, it's not Fairy Tail-and for two, obviously, it's taken forever for me to post something new and it's in a crossover that is so far from popular that it's sad. Still... I figure if people can do Inuyasha/DBZ crossovers, why not DB? If this doesn't really appeal to anyone, I'll go ahead and stop at the end of the RRA saga. If people do like it, well... my brother for one is already anticipating me going all the way through DB, DBZ, and GT. Let's see where this monster goes, folks! Oh, and in case it wasn't fairly obvious, this is going to be some slow burn Goku/Kag. Sloooowwwwww burn. He's only twelve right now, after all.

Oh, and in case you come across any gaps, the storyline is staying pretty much exactly the same. Here in the beginning, Kagome's presence doesn't actually effect just about anything when Goku goes running off on his own, so I've left that alone. Apologies for those who haven't actually watched DB and get confused! I promise it gets more in-depth later on!

Edit: 7/01/16


	2. Chapter 2

"Look, look!" Goku laughed brightly, pointing down at the canyon beneath them. "This is so neat!"

Kagome was glad that the boy had gotten distracted and she didn't end up having to give him The Talk, but it was starting to dawn on her that he might seriously benefit from some ADD medication. She looked down anyway, just to humor him, and felt her own eyes widen as she took in the landscape below.

"Wow," she breathed.

She had seen a lot of things, especially after becoming a diplomat for the West - but she had never seen something like _this_. It was barren, it was desolate, it actually reminded her a whole lot like the Southern Lands... but looking down at it from above, it was beautiful. She felt a wide grin part her own lips, a lightness filling her heart that hadn't been there in years. When was the last time she had just relaxed and looked at the scenery? When had she just let it all become something so commonplace?

The priestess promised herself then and there to never do something stupid like that again. Life, without the simple pleasures, was no real life at all.

Neither of them saw the rock jutting out of the cliff face until it was too late.

Kagome yelped as they were both knocked off the cloud, her arms flailing for a moment. If she was at full strength, this wouldn't be a problem - she would just throw a barrier around them to absorb all the impact when they inevitably hit the rocks below.

Sadly, she was nowhere near even 3% power right then. Damn Suzumiya to the deepest pits of hell.

Goku screamed as they plummeted and she reached out, grabbing him quickly by the arm and pulling him close. She was the adult in this situation, even if she _was_ currently weaker than the average human. It was up to her to try and get them out of this alive.

She reached into herself, trying to find even the tiniest shred of reiki. Just one little spark, that was all she was asking!

Goku's cloud swooped to catch them, reminding her that it was there - and apparently sentient. That was handy. It missed them on the first pass, getting the boy's bag instead, but it managed to grab them on the second and they were off once more as if nothing had even happened. Her heart pounded and she stiffly let her pint-sized protector go, almost feeling the need to smack him when he started laughing not two seconds later.

"That was great!" he announced. "Oh, hey look! Cows! Ooooooh, fruit trees! Snack time, snack time!"

Damn. It would be easier to stay mad at him if he wasn't so innocent and... _cute_.

She'd always had a weak spot for innocent and cute.

xxxx

Goku bounced excitedly as he found a dragon ball on the radar, hoping beyond hope that it would be his grandpa's. It was fun explaining what the balls were to Kagome, just like it was pretty fun hearing her explain some of the things that had confused him since leaving the mountain - he was really glad to have made a new friend, and it was strangely relieving to know that she was willing to go with him.

"I hate wishes," she'd admitted to him quietly, "but I understand why you want to find this thing. I'll help you."

He didn't really get what was wrong with wishes, but that was okay. The girl was weird, but he'd already decided that he liked her anyway. Three days in her company had only made him more and more sure about that choice.

"Yay! We're getting close now!" he cheered after what felt like forever, stopping and staring down at his stomach when he heard it growl. "I'm hungry..."

Kagome chuckled lightly. "Goku, I'm starting to get the feeling that you're _always_ hungry. Let's go ahead and land; I can make us some lunch."

He grinned and did just that, thinking to himself that he really did prefer it when she was happy. It made him happier in turn, and a smile definitely suited her a ton better than that frown that she'd worn all the time right after they'd met. "Hey, there's a puddle!" he pointed out eagerly, urging Nimbus to get closer to it. He knew that his new friend had said they were called 'lakes' at that size, but he still liked saying 'puddles' better. "Fish!"

The girl's laughter rang out again, but she turned and started walking into the trees as he went ahead and began taking his clothes off. "You get us some fish, then, and I'll go find some firewood so that we can cook it."

He grinned and nodded, stripping down the rest of the way before diving in. He swam around for a bit, trying to decide where the best place to dangle his tail would be. The boy found it quickly, his eyes sparkling when he saw some of the fish trying to hide from him in the cracks of the lakebed, and darted back up to the surface. He grinned and swam around for a couple more minutes, enjoying the feel of the water. Kagome would probably want a turn in it too, after they had finished eating - if he'd learned anything in the last few days that they'd been traveling together, it was that she was a good cook and she really liked taking baths.

Finally, he climbed out with a laugh. "That was refreshing!" Now he just needed to get dressed, since his new companion seemed kind of uncomfortable around him when he was naked... He looked around. "Hey!" he yelped. "Where are my clothes!"

He caught a strange scent and took to the air quickly on Nimbus. He needed to hurry, before Kagome came back with that firewood.

"Sure is breezy up here," he remarked to himself, letting out a sneeze. "I need to find my clothes... and my Power Pole!" As soon as he said that, he got an idea. Looking up, he grinned. "That's it! Power Pole, extend!

He repeated the order a few times until it rose up into the sky near him.

It was easy enough finding his stuff after that, but the radar was gone. _That_ was a real problem - he needed it to find his grandpa's dragon ball! He found a shoe, recognized the smell from the lake, and picked it up. Maybe if he followed the scent, he could find the thief... Oh, but he needed to go back for Kagome first! She had told him off for leaving her behind a couple of times already, and he really wanted his lunch more than another scolding.

He quickly flew back on Nimbus, spotting her looking for him from above.

"Kagome!" he called out, dropping to the ground beside her. "Kagome, someone took my stuff and I managed to get it back but they made off with the dragon radar and we really really need that so that we can find my grandpa so I came back for you but we have to hurry before his scent can fade!" he cried out all in one breath, hoping to himself that she wouldn't ask a lot of questions or get mad at him for trying to rush her.

She blinked at him twice, seemed to understand what he was saying, and dropped the wood to climb up on the cloud next to him. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Well, that'd been surprisingly easy.

xxxx

The priestess sat back as Goku tracked the scent of the thief, thinking to herself that she really did always end up attracting the animalistic ones. She waited for him when he confronted the kid, frowning to herself at the sight of slight corruption in the other boy's aura. It hadn't even occurred to her before, but... Her new companion's didn't have even a little bit of taint. Seeing the contrast now, the light shining just a little more brightly as he gave the child that had _stolen from him_ a couple of the apples that he had been saving for later, she could hardly believe that she hadn't caught it sooner. He was like her at the beginning of her journey through the past. He saw only the good in people.

She smiled a bit to herself as he hopped back up on the cloud next to her, directing it quickly to the nearby town. He wasn't human, but he was a pure soul. That certainly helped to explain why she felt so comfortable around him.

They reached the shop that they'd been told of in no time, both of them hopping off their transport to begin searching for the radar. Maybe the gods were actually smiling down at her on _this_ quest, because they found it almost right away; Shikon shards had _never_ come that easily. She almost hoped that maybe her help wouldn't be needed to fulfill their task, after all. With how low her powers still were, she wasn't sure if she could even hold up a barrier at this point.

A little blue guy walked out of the store with a tall woman behind him and a purple box in his arms. For some reason, he and Goku seemed to know each other - and not in a good way. They both started screaming the second they saw one another.

She twitched when the tiny bastard called her companion a monster, not really hearing the rest of the exchange as she reared her leg back and kicked him right in the face.

"If anyone's a monster here, I wouldn't be pointing fingers you little freak!" she shouted after his bouncing form as it rolled down the street, the tall woman gaping at her for a moment before running off after him and yelling something about 'Emperor Pilaf!' Kagome just scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. " _Honestly_!" she spat. "Some people just don't have any kind of sense!"

The boy stared up at her for a long moment, slack-jawed and wide-eyed, before slowly giving her a bright grin. "Thanks, Kagome. But we really should have gotten that dragon ball from him before letting them go."

She raised a brow at him. That certainly hadn't _felt_ like some powerful jewel with the ability to grant wishes (and really, if anyone knew what that felt like, it would be her) but if Goku was that convinced... Well, it wasn't like she had been in this dimension for very long. A lot of things were already really different here, so maybe this was just another.

"I wonder how many stars were on that ball," he sighed, slumping over.

"Four," a rather annoying voice spoke up in response. "Four beautiful stars are on that ball, son."

Goku's face fell. "That's Grandpa's ball!" He rushed off immediately after the two.

Kagome hesitated to follow him for a second, really disliking the amount of corruption in the shopkeeper's aura, and felt her eyes narrow when he offered to show her around and give her a good discount because she was pretty. For some reason, she was getting a distinct sense that the creep had just screwed her little friend over.

Following her instincts, she punched the old man in the face and ran off in the direction that Goku had. While it was satisfying to hear the jerk cry out about delinquents and unprovoked violence and whatnot, she still got the feeling that she should have hit him again.

Kami, she'd spent way too much time around dog demons.

xxxx

When he called for Nimbus, he hadn't really expected it to pick Kagome up first. He was glad that it did, but still surprised as it came to a stop beside him, his new friend letting out a shrill squeak and clinging to the yellow fluff for dear life.

"There you are!" he grinned, hopping on beside her and pulling her up a bit straighter. "That way, Nimbus!"

They flew off quickly, his friend letting out another squeak and grabbing his shoulder to steady herself. "What on earth is going on?!" she shouted over the rush of the wind. "Your cloud just appeared and scooped me up out of nowhere!"

"That's kinda odd," he announced thoughtfully, his head tilting to one side for a moment before he grinned. "Nimbus must really like you!"

She made a face at him and he laughed brightly, pulling out the radar and pausing.

"I don't get it," he told the girl uncertainly. "They have Grandpa's dragon ball in there, but the radar says we're still getting father away from it! I guess it's broken..."

"Let me see?" she requested, holding a hand out for the device.

He handed it to her, not really sure what she was going to do with the thing. It wasn't like they really needed it anymore anyway; the goal was already in sight!

"Goku, I think we should maybe turn around," she informed him with a frown.

His eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"This just doesn't feel right," she sighed as she clicked the button on top a few times. "That shopkeeper seemed like a real jerk, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if he'd tried to trick us. You said that this has worked for you in the past, right? I say we listen to it before we listen to strangers."

He blinked at her, a little uncertain about what she was saying about the nice man that had told him that the ball had four stars - but then she showed him that there were still six other lights showing up on the screen. "Hey!" he yelped. "That guy _did_ try to trick us!"

She nodded in agreement and they turned around quickly, the flying fortress doing the same and proving that they'd had the right idea.

Goku pouted a bit, but jolted when the girl took his hand sympathetically.

"It's alright," she murmured. "There's no real hurry here, huh? We know where they are, and we'll get there when we get there." Seeing that her words didn't really effect his mood, she gave a sigh before smiling at him. "How about we pick up a snack on the way? I'm getting kind of hungry."

His stomach growled in response and he brightened at the prospect of eating something. Kagome really was getting pretty good at reading him, wasn't she?

He grinned at her and nodded eagerly, squeezing her fingers in silent thanks.

xxxx

They sat up in an apple tree, Kagome still munching on her first of the fruits and Goku on at least his tenth. She mused in the back of her mind that she might have been horrified by his eating habits if she hadn't had some companions with even worse table manners back in the day, but as it was she just took it in stride.

The boy finally sat up after a couple more apples, glancing around and peeking through a clump of leaves.

"What is it?" she questioned, throwing away her core and moving over to his branch.

"That's my friend Chichi," he told her, pushing the bough away so that she could see better. "Her dad's the Ox King. I wonder what she's doing out here."

Kagome stared out at the girl for a moment, thoughts flashing back to Rin. "It looks like she's picking flowers," she told him, unable to fight off the soft smile that came with thinking of her adopted niece. Kami, she hoped that they didn't miss her too much...

"Hey, Chichi!" Goku shouted, getting the girl's - oh gods, that was _not_ enough clothing for a kid that young! - attention. "It's me, Goku!"

The child looked around uncertainly for a moment, the boy finally jumping out of the tree to greet her. The immediate brightening of her eyes and the wide smile told the priestess all that she needed to know: her little friend was apparently a bit of a ladykiller. She chuckled to herself and dropped down as well, brushing herself off and coming to stand next to her companion.

"Hi," she greeted easily, watching the girl to see how she reacted. The kid would have most definitely preferred to have some time alone with Goku, but it would have just been plain awkward later on when the boy tried to introduce them.

Because this was Goku, and he would have done so. He just didn't know the meaning of the word 'subtle', not even when it came to interpersonal relationships. If he felt a certain way or thought a certain thing, he would just blurt it out for all the world to know... After Inuyasha, she actually kind of appreciated that - but this probably wasn't the place.

The girl's eyes narrowed as she took the woman in. "Goku?" she chirruped sweetly, eyes falling on the boy and decidedly dismissing the intruder. "Who is this?"

Kagome twitched, definitely not liking the dark cloud that swept over the kid's aura.

The boy grinned brightly, completely unaware of the danger. "This is Kagome! She's my friend, and she's helping me find my grandpa!"

"I see," the kid nodded. "It's awful nice of you to invite her to be a guest at our wedding."

Say what now?

"What's a wedding?" Goku questioned, turning up to meet the priestess's eyes.

"Oh, Goku!" Chichi laughed, blushing and bringing her hands up. "You're so goofy!"

Kagome, on the other hand, frowned. "A wedding is a union between a boy and a girl," she explained, returning the favor and dismissing the kid as her pint-sized guardian listened raptly. "Getting married is like a promise to always be together with the one that you love."

He nodded slowly. "And... love is really big like, right?"

"Sort of," she chuckled. "It goes a little deeper than that."

"Oh. And it has to be between a boy and a girl?" he checked curiously.

"Most places," she affirmed. "It does if you want to be able to have children together."

The boy nodded again. "So parents are married people with kids?"

Ah, that innocent naiveté. She smiled. "Not always. It's kind of confusing, but things are a lot easier on parents if they _are_ married."

"Oooooh... I still don't get it," he admitted.

"Okay, so you know how animals take mates?" she suggested, deciding to try a different approach. He nodded. "People do, too. Having a wedding just means standing in front of a bunch of people and making a vow to be paired for life."

The boy thought it over and frowned. "That sounds kinda stupid. Why do you have to _tell_ anyone else that you're gonna be with someone until you die? Shouldn't you just be worried about telling _them_?"

She couldn't help but laugh. That mentality was so demonic that she could just cry. "It's not for everyone, but society-"

"STOP IGNORING ME!" the girl finally exploded, throwing her flowers away angrily.

Shit. Kagome grabbed her little friend and pulled him out of the way quickly as the other child pulled the blade off her helmet and flung it at them.

"Oh, gosh!" she yelped when she realized what she'd done. "I have to be more ladylike!"

Because that was really the thing to be worried about right now. _Sure_.

"Wait!" the girl jolted, grabbing the blade and returning it to its place when it swung back around to her. "No, let go of my Goku!"

The priestess really didn't feel that lasers were the answer here, but quickly dodged. She hadn't even realized that she was still hanging on to the boy, for kami's sake! To make matters worse, Goku still didn't seem to have any idea what was going on as she hurried to avoid the barrage of attacks that were sent their (her) way, and she didn't have enough leeway to explain it to him.

A loud explosion caused the girl to stop, Kagome finally slowing down and struggling to catch her breath as she set her little friend down. Honestly, being so lightheaded from something as little as this... Damn, but she hated that stupid pheasant right then.

"Papa!" the caped child called worriedly, her eyes on the looming mushroom cloud rising up over the horizon.

Goku's expression shifted and she knew exactly what he had in mind. She'd once had a pretty bad habit of always rushing to the rescue, too... And, well, not even Sesshoumaru had been able to train that out of her. The only real problem she saw was that she was worse than useless at the moment. It wasn't a stretch to say that the boy could handle most anything that was thrown at him, but she refused to be a liability. Never, ever again.

"Go," she panted, trudging over to the apple tree (whose trunk had been sliced halfway through) and plopping down to lean her back against the bark. "I'll wait here."

The girl immediately brightened, but Goku deflated.

"But, Kagome... You always say never to leave you behind," he pointed out.

She smiled at him tiredly. "I'd just get in the way right now. Go."

He called the Nimbus uncertainly, and the priestess waited until they were out of sight before she allowed herself to pass out.

And she hadn't even used any reiki. Talk about unfair.

xxxx

Goku was worried about Kagome, but he knew deep down that she was right. He had to go help the villagers, and it was obvious enough that she needed to rest. He just wished that he knew why that had taken so much out of her. Was she sick or something?

"Really, Goku, who is that lady?" Chichi demanded from her place behind him.

He sighed. "She's Kagome," he repeated. "She's my friend."

" _Just_ a friend?" she growled darkly.

The boy frowned, not really liking the way that she was acting. She'd talked about having a wedding with him and stuff, and he was really pretty sure that he didn't want to after what his older friend had told him. Also, it made his tail twitch to think that the girl was trying to put some kind of claim on him without even asking. "Well, no. She's also my traveling partner," he admitted. "Hey, why do you not like her so much? She's really nice."

"That woman is trying to take you away from me!" she squeaked angrily.

He let out a low grumble, his decision not to want to marry her only becoming firmer when they got blown off the Nimbus not once, but twice - Nimbus really did like Kagome, after all, and he was getting the feeling that it was going to really _dislike_ Chichi after this - and she even grabbed his tail. He hated it when people grabbed his tail.

At least there was a fight to be had; that was something. The way that the girl cried when she got attacked kinda annoyed him, but he guessed that maybe he shouldn't think that all girls were supposed to be like Kagome and Launch. Maybe it was the other way around.

They freed the Ox King quickly, and Goku wasted no time getting back on Nimbus after finding out what had happened and eating something really quickly. He was in a hurry - his friend was going to be expecting him back before it got dark. Once he had his grandpa back, he was going to take her to Master Roshi's. He just knew that Kagome would get along with everyone, and she really did need a good place to rest if she was sick.

"Wait!" Chichi called, hurrying after him. "Goku! What about the wedding?!"

He paused and frowned a bit when she came to a stop in front of him. "I don't remember ever saying that I wanted to get married," he pointed out.

She gasped. "But - but of course we have to get married! We-!"

"But Chichi," he interrupted, frowning even more. Now he was starting to get irritated as well as confused. "We don't love each other. Kagome said that you have to love each other, and we don't... Besides, I don't think I like the sound of this wedding stuff anyway. It seems like a lot to go through just to tell other people that you wanna be someone's mate."

Her face paled and she stumbled back a step, eyes filling with tears. "But - but-"

"I'm sorry," he apologized sadly, urging Nimbus to start taking off before she could start crying. If she started crying, then he was going to start crying - and there wasn't much time to waste. "I really am glad that we're friends, though."

He felt guilty when he heard her begin to wail behind him, but it'd had to be done. If he didn't want to marry her, then he didn't want to marry her; he wasn't going to lie to anyone.

The boy sniffled and wiped his eyes. He needed to ask Kagome more about this kind of stuff when he got back... He shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind for the moment and pulled the radar out to start tracking down the dragon ball.

xxxx

A/N: Alright, so for everyone who's going to be upset because I didn't portray Chichi in a very positive light - I don't really see how she can be in this situation. I don't straight-up hate the girl, I just don't see her purpose in the storyline other than to give Goku a convenient mate - and to anyone who read my last A/N, I've already stated that he's going to end up with Kagome in this story. I'm not saying that Chichi will get cut out entirely, she's still a DB character and I'm doing my best to follow through with the storyline every way I know how. But with the added character and the lack of 'Oh, I'm going to marry Goku!' obsession, she's going to be forced to see things a bit differently and, hopefully, grow up a bit.

There are so many females in the DB universe with potential to go on and become strong, independent women, and I would by lying if I said that it didn't irk me that the vast majority never really seem to live up to that. This is AU. Things are going to be changing more dramatically as time goes on, what with the extra influence of someone who's already been there, done that along for the ride.

Sorry for the rant. Hope you're all enjoying this as much as I am!

Edit: 7/01/16


	3. Chapter 3

Kagome woke up to the Nimbus bumping into her shoulder, taking only half a second to be a bit upset about her rest being interrupted before realizing that the cloud was carrying an unconscious Goku.

"What happened?!" she yelped, jumping to her feet and trying to fight down the wave of dizziness that slammed into her with the sudden motion.

Of course, she immediately felt ridiculous once the world stopped spinning. Nimbus was a _cloud_ ; it wasn't like it could actually _answer_ her. She hurried to take the boy off of it, but it backed away before she could.

The priestess frowned, confused. Once more, the cloud approached her and bumped itself against her knees - and again, she tried taking Goku from it. Before she could, however, it pushed against her even harder when her balance was off and she toppled over onto it right next to her pint-sized protector. She let out a quiet grunt, being very careful not to squish the boy or anything, and realized that this was probably exactly what the stupid fluff had wanted. They were already back up in the air.

Kagome heaved a sigh and shifted around so that she was at least sitting upright. That didn't leave a lot of room on the cloud, but she could live with that - though she did very nearly push Goku right off the side when he rolled over and snuggled his face against her hip. If she hadn't known him so well by now, she would have thought that he was faking sleep in order to be a little pervert and get away with it.

But, well, she did know him. So instead of allowing herself to act on her first impulse and smack him (she blamed Miroku for fostering that reaction, thank you very much), she heaved another sigh and pulled her haori a little tighter around herself.

Gods, she was beyond lucky that her clothes were demon-made. She had no idea where she would have found something to change into out here once they'd gotten too dirty...

She glanced down at her miniature companion as he let out a sigh and cuddled closer to her warmth, thinking to herself once more that surely she had been here for more than a week. _Surely_ her power was closer to being restored. She already knew this kid better than she knew Sesshoumaru, for kami's sake! And yes, she knew that her adopted brother was just naturally reticent and therefore not the best example in most normal situations - but still, she'd been living under his roof for four freaking years! It counted!

Nimbus took them down after some time, and Kagome let out a huff. The fluffy thing was clever, maybe even more so than the ice lord's pelt; this was a good place to sleep, she had to admit that. She dropped down and glanced this way and that, taking in their position and the resources nearby. If the cloud wanted to carry Goku so badly, then it could carry the boy - he would probably be more comfortable up there than on the ground anyway.

She, on the other hand, needed to find a nice stash of food (which the majority of would inevitably go to her companion whenever he woke up) and some firewood. The sun was already beginning to set, so she needed to hurry.

Luckily, she was an old pro at assembling a campsite. Everything was set up within the hour, and she settled in to keep watch for the night after eating a quick dinner. She would have to find some more food for the boy before he woke up, since she hadn't been able to track down that much-but she knew where to look now. That was fine.

She entered a light doze, just deep enough to get a bit more rest before morning.

xxxx

Goku roused slowly, sitting up and wincing. "Ow, my head!" he complained, wrapping his arms over his skull and willing it to stop pounding.

"Drink this," a soft voice instructed beside him, the smell of herbal tea filling his nose.

He opened his eyes again to see Kagome standing there with a section of bamboo stalk, steam rising off the top of it. She held the makeshift cup out to him and he accepted it, careful not to spill the hot liquid on his gi as he sniffed it curiously.

He made a face. "This smells funny."

"But it'll help," she huffed, moving back over to the remains of a fire and sitting next to it. She was quiet for a long time as he took a nervous sip. It _tasted_ funny, too. "What happened?"

The boy frowned to himself and stared down into his tea to keep from having to meet her eyes. "I almost had it, but then Pilaf and those other guys started blowing each other up," he explained subduedly. "Nimbus saved me."

He didn't even hear her stand back up, but suddenly her hand was on his shoulder. "I'm just glad that you're okay, Goku," she sighed. "Don't worry. We'll find your grandpa's ball."

He couldn't help but smile weakly at the girl, grateful to have a friend there with him - and that smile only widened into a full-on grin the moment that she told him his breakfast was ready. Kagome really did know him well.

After eating the food that the girl had made for him, the fire was doused and they were back up on Nimbus again in a matter of minutes. That was another one of the differences between her and Bulma: she almost never took too long getting ready for the day. Sometimes her frequent baths could take a lot of time, but she was always quick to pack her things.

They flew on for a while, sometimes talking and sometimes pointing something out to one another down on the ground. Silence never really came into play, but even when it did it was more comfortable than anything. Finally, the radar started bleeping at him.

"Hey, we're close to another dragon ball!" he announced excitedly, glancing down and trying to spot it from the air. "Hm... It must be in this forest somewhere."

She also looked around curiously, taking in their surroundings with a practiced eye. He still really wanted to know about where she came from and her past, especially when it seemed like she had once been a fighter, but he tried not to push her. She could get really scary when she was mad. "I think you're right, Goku. How accurate is that thing? It might be a little hard to find it in all of those trees."

His stomach gurgled loudly. "Speaking of trees," he laughed, "I bet there's a snack tree down there!"

The girl rolled her eyes at him, but she was smiling. "Probably. Should we find one?"

He cheered at her agreement and directed Nimbus down, jumping right off the moment that branches came into view. Kagome shouted after him worriedly, still on the cloud, and he glanced back up from where he had landed. "What's wrong with her?" he questioned no one, jumping through the boughs in the same direction as she had gone off in. The sight of food stopped him short and he quickly swooped down to pluck the fruit from its tree. His friend was really smart. She could catch up, right?

A monkey stole his snack right out from under his nose, and he gaped.

"Hey!" he called as he climbed up after it quickly. "That's mine!" Seeing that it had been given to a baby monkey, he slumped. There went his meal... "Oh, fine," he grumbled as he began to climb back down. "You can have it." He saw a flash of brown falling out of the corner of his eye and he jumped when he saw that the same little chimp that had gotten his snack had fallen. The boy frowned, concerned. "Poor little monkey..."

Next thing he knew, he had chased off a jaguar and was getting free food from the other monkeys. He decided that he really liked this jungle.

xxxx

Kagome stomped through the undergrowth, her eye twitching with irritation. That little brat! She had thought that he was going to fall, and he just-! UGH!

That kid was in for a pounding, mark her words.

She heard a loud crash and jolted, turning around and feeling her eyes go wide when she saw a cloud of dust rise up over the forest. What on earth...? A surge of fire blazed up over the horizon and she started to run. Goku was bound to be over there, and she needed to help him! She came up on the river that she had seen from the sky earlier, reaching for her reiki so that she could power her muscles and leap across-

The priestess's run slowed immediately, the sharp reminder of her powerlessness thrumming through her chest in agonizing waves. No reiki, no physical endurance... She was useless for another three weeks at the least. She would just end up getting captured, and then her companion would do whatever he was told to try and save her.

Her knees gave out from under her and she felt her eyes begin to water. Even after four years of constant training under a literal _demon_ , she was still the weak link...

She grit her teeth and pounded a fist into the dirt next to her. "DAMMIT!"

xxxx

Goku had searched for the dragon ball for a while after he'd woken up, only to find that the soldiers from earlier were destroying the forest in the exact same search. He'd fought against them, obviously, and managed to push them back - but he had just barely saved the mama chimp and her baby from falling down into the rapids below, where they definitely would have died.

So now here he hung from a small jut in the canyon wall, trying to figure out a way that he and the monkeys could all get out of there alive. He just needed to find Kagome and then they could go look for the ball together, and she would definitely find some way of making him hurt if he ended up getting himself killed.

With that thought in mind, he quickly let go and yelled for Nimbus.

Now, with the three of them safe, he played with the little monkey a bit before standing back up. "It's been fun," he grinned, "but I'd really better go find Kagome and my grandpa's dragon ball now."

It was kind of irritating when they tried getting him to stay, but he did accept one more banana. He was hungry, after all, and his friend would understand.

When it started to rain, he started to get this sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. Wasn't the girl sick? What if she was still out there looking for him and she got caught in the downpour? This was Kagome, she was a worrier. She _would_ do something like that, and he knew that she would have been searching everywhere for him from the moment he'd called for Nimbus earlier that afternoon and she hadn't still been on the cloud.

With a concerned frown, he took off into the rain. "Thanks for the food, but I really have to go!" he called over his shoulder. " _Nimbus_!"

He just really hoped that he was right about the cloud liking her so much. If he was lucky, it would be able to take him right to her...

"We gotta find Kagome," he informed the transport as he climbed on.

It took off like a shot with no further encouragement.

xxxx

She watched the rain continue to fall outside her shelter in sheets and heaved a sigh. So much for Goku being able to find her by scent when he was done finding the dragon ball... She pulled her haori closer to her and stifled a sneeze in the crook of her arm.

 _This_ certainly brought back some bad memories.

'You're not worth it,' a voice whispered in her head. 'No one's going to save you, useless girl. Why don't you make a wish and end it?'

She used to think that it was the Shikon or maybe even Kikyou whispering nasty things in her ear when it was dark and she was alone, but she'd had to accept not all that long ago that she and the jewel were one in the same. That little voice was made up entirely of her own petty doubts and self-loathing, given life by the taint inherent in the jewel and skittering about in her mind like a disease as it picked away at her sanity bit by bit.

The priestess groaned tiredly. It had been nice and quiet for the last week, but apparently the reprieve was over. Her newest companion wasn't there to chase away the nightmares, and he had no way of knowing about them anyway. She had never told the boy anything about herself beyond her name.

She thought to herself, staring out at the downpour as she was, that she wanted to fix that if she ever got the chance.

'He's probably dead, you know. You couldn't do anything to help him.'

She would start by telling him how old she was, she supposed. That was usually the question that was asked after learning what someone's name was. She wouldn't go into her halted aging or say anything about the jewel yet, but maybe someday she would. She would have to, if she wanted to stick around for a while. It would be inevitable once someone realized that she never looked a day older than eighteen no matter how much time passed.

'He wouldn't want you hovering around anyway, you pathetic weakling. Once he finds a good place to leave you, he'll do it - he was just too nice to leave you in that desert to rot. He'll regret it later and you know it. They always come to regret helping you.'

He might like hearing about her little brother, or maybe Shippou. They were both boys around his age... sort of. Her memories of Souta went up until he was twelve, almost thirteen - and as for the fox, he had been closer to eighty. But he looked and acted like he was eight, so that had to count for something.

'You'll ruin him, just like you ruined them. And he'll never forgive you for it.'

What about favorite color? She wasn't sure if she had one anymore, but people usually wanted to know about that. His was probably orange, going by his gi. Now she was actually kind of curious about that.

'The only colors that _you_ know now are blood and death. You'll stain his light with your filthy presence.'

She wondered idly if the rest of her was as unoriginal as that annoying hiss. Seriously, those lines were starting to get old after four years - Kagura was bitchier than that in the span of five minutes, and _she_ always had new material to throw around.

The rain continued to patter outside and she gave a quiet sigh, enjoying the temporary silence. It never did last, but it was always cherished.

"-me!" she heard someone yell above the winds, her eyes going wide. "Kagome!"

"Goku?!" she shouted back, scurrying to the cave mouth. There he was, on his little yellow cloud, grinning at her like she'd just told him that dinner was ready. What in the hell was he doing, flying around in this sort of weather?! He was going to get himself killed! "Goku, get down here before you get hit by lightning you little brat!"

He looked confused, but did as he was told. She pulled him quickly inside with her the moment he landed, the Nimbus flying off now that it was no longer needed.

"Don't... _do_ that!" she scolded him loudly, looking him over for injuries. She couldn't _see_ any, but that didn't mean that they weren't there... And he probably wouldn't tell her if he was hurt, anyway. "Don't you ever do that again, do you hear me! You scared the life out of me!"

"Gosh, I'm sorry," he frowned worriedly. "I didn't mean to. I just really needed to find you before the storm got any worse."

Dammit, she just couldn't stay mad at him when he actually apologized - he had this whole kicked puppy thing going for him. The priestess gave a heavy sigh and slumped back against the wall, shivering slightly as she patted the stone next to her. "Just get over here."

He grinned and did so, curling up against her side without invitation. She almost told him to beat it then and there, but... he was warm, and she was very decidedly freezing.

She heaved another sigh and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Hey, Kagome?" he spoke up after a while, drawing her attention back down to him.

"Yeah?"

He pouted slightly. "I'm really hungry," he informed her, his stomach growling loudly right on cue.

She couldn't help it. She laughed, long and loud.

It was no wonder the voice always fled when Goku was around.

xxxx

They flew together on Nimbus, looking for the dragon ball from above. The radar said that it was pretty close.

"Looks like they haven't found it either," he laughed, pointing down at the soldiers.

Kagome chuckled and shook her head. "And they're not going to, right?"

He grinned brightly. "Right!"

They landed not very long after that, Goku completely ignoring the two guys already there as he wandered around looking for the ball. His friend stayed on the cloud, a worried look crossing her face even as the other guys turned to stare at her.

The boy wasn't really sure why, but he didn't like the way that they were looking at her - and neither did she, judging by the glare she sent them.

"Aha!" he cheered after a moment, reaching down into a cranny between two rocks. He pulled it out and held it up to his face, frowning in disappointment when he saw that it had five stars instead of four. "Aww," he pouted. "Too many stars! This one isn't my grandpa's..."

The soldiers started freaking out for some reason. "It's the dragon ball!" one of them shouted disbelievingly.

"Yeah, but my grandpa's had four stars on it. This one's got five," he told them.

"Who is this kid?!" the same guy yelped. "I mean, we've been out here looking all day! How did he find it so fast?!"

"Pure luck, that's how he did it!" the other announced, a not-so-nice smile spreading across his face. "But I say we're the lucky ones now. Hey, why don't you hand that to me, boy?" he demanded, beginning to walk closer to the twelve-year-old.

Goku just stared at him. "But... what do you want it for?" he asked.

"I don't need any sass!" the man barked. "Just do as I say! Give me that ball right now."

"Hey!" Kagome yelled angrily, throwing one of her shoes at the blond guy's head. "Just who do you think you are, you creep?!"

The man fell over, his companion gawking at the girl still sitting on the cloud.

"Y-you-!" the blond screamed as he quickly jumped back to his feet and pointed his gun at her instead. "You're going to pay for that, you little bitch!"

The boy frowned, the expression coming dangerously close to a scowl. "You just try it!" he challenged, drawing the attention back to him as he stuck his tongue out at the guy. "You can't make us do anything!"

"Oh, I'll make you alright!" the man growled, reaching for him.

Kagome gave a slight yelp of warning. "Goku, look out!"

Without even flinching, he swung his foot back and kicked the guy away from him. The other gave a snarl and pulled his own gun, the girl having gone strangely silent even as bullets started to fly. Goku just dodged them, darting out of the way of a few shots before leaping into the air and giving a "Hyaah!" as he landed and punched the wolf over and over again more times than the eye could follow. With both of them out, he frowned and looked back down at the ball that he had acquired. "Well, this isn't my grandpa's ball - but I'm only one star off," he sighed to himself.

Nimbus came down next to him and he blinked before refocussing his attention on his companion. She was just staring at him with this really weird, dazed expression on her face - almost like she was seeing something else when she looked at him. For some reason, he felt a little uncomfortable under the weight of her stare. It was like she was peeking into his soul.

He tilted his head to one side, his brow furrowing in concern. "Kagome?"

She jolted out of it and gave him a slightly awkward smile. "It's nothing. Come on, let's get going before any reinforcements show up."

The boy grinned and nodded, hopping up beside her on the cloud after grabbing her shoe for her. "I just know the next one's going to be my grandpa's!" he laughed as they took off into the sky. He still had no idea what she had been looking at earlier, but he was glad that it was over now.

She just nodded in agreement, staying quiet for another few minutes as they traveled. Right when he was about to break the silence himself, she spoke up. "I'm twenty."

He gaped at her, not really sure where that had come from - and he was kind of surprised that she was that old, too. She looked closer to Bulma's age, he'd thought. Did this mean that she was actually an adult?

She just gave him another smile and settled in more comfortably.

xxxx

Kagome was glad that she had done what she'd wanted to earlier. It had been a nerve-wracking thing, talking herself up to it, but seeing that golden shine to his aura while he was fighting had just seemed to sweep all of her concerns away if only for a few minutes. This was the lightest that she had felt in... Well, in five years. It would still be a little less than three weeks before she was back up to even halfway, but she felt good.

She heard the whistling sound before she saw the missile, but her eyes went wide and she grabbed the boy quickly the moment it was in sight. They were both thrown away from the Nimbus bodily, falling way too quickly towards the pain awaiting them below - and again, she couldn't do a damn thing about it but hold onto the boy tighter and pray.

The priestess had no idea when their positions had switched, but when she opened her eyes it was to find that they were on the ground, in one piece, and that _Goku_ was the one holding _her_ up. Bridal style. She twitched and immediately squirmed out of his arms, uttering a low curse.

Geez, she just couldn't win for losing with this kid. Ten out of ten, he would always come to the rescue and do something impossible.

Well, impossible for a human.

"You again!" the redhead that had shot them down snarled.

The boy looked like he was about to start hyperventilating. "You blew up my Nimbus!"

"Pity," the man sneered sarcastically as he dropped his weapon. "It looks like you've lost your ride. There won't be any getting away this time!"

Goku just stared up at the dispersing cloud, a horrified expression of grief on his face.

Kagome winced, feeling her own heart break a little bit in her chest as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Nimbus..." the boy murmured sadly. Finally, he turned on the redhead with a rather animalistic growl. "You! What did you do to my Nimbus?! That was a gift to me from my teacher Master Roshi! Why did you _do_ that?!"

" _I'll_ ask the questions here," the man scoffed. "Now tell me, what do you want with the dragon ball? And how did you managed to find so easily what my entire army could not?"

Goku glared at him wordlessly.

"Allow me to venture a guess," the soldier continued haughtily. "Could it be that you have something more sophisticated?"

Kagome decided that this had gone on for long enough. "Allow _me_ to venture a guess," she parroted mockingly as she took a step forward. "You've got an inferiority complex and you get off on beating up those smaller and weaker than yourself because you're compensating for something?"

The man's eyes went wide, his nostrils beginning to flare in outrage. "You-!"

"Say you're sorry," the boy interrupted. "Say you're sorry for blowing up Nimbus."

The redhead just scoffed and continued trying to interrogate him.

Goku stuck his tongue out at the man and grabbed the priestess's hand. "I'm not telling you anything until you apologize! We're leaving."

She was pretty sure that they wouldn't be allowed to, but she walked when the boy did. She trusted him, so if he was confident enough to turn his back on this guy... Well, she just hoped that he could back it up.

He could, she found out very shortly. The soldier tried attacking them, first throwing punches at Goku who immediately blocked them without so much as reacting, and then getting frustrated enough after he'd gotten kicked to try and take a swing at her. Her pint-sized guardian didn't like that very much, to put it mildly.

He whipped the man in the face with his tail.

"He won't bother us anymore," he grinned up at her.

Once more, Kagome felt like she was getting yet another reminder not to underestimate her new friend. He was small, yes, but he packed a wallop.

She was going to have to ask what had happened with Suzumiya after she'd passed out someday, now that she thought of it. _That_ was one feathery bastard who could use getting put in his place.

The two ended up inside the strange dome-shaped building, looking for something that Goku called 'capsules'. She didn't understand what that was supposed to be... but felt like she'd taken a step into the Twilight Zone when a snarky _robot_ came out of one, then a _plane_. By the time she processed what was going on, they'd already taken off again.

This world was so freaking weird.

xxxx

Edit: 7/01/16


	4. Chapter 4

It was cold. Really, really, _really_ cold. He and Kagome were huddled up together in the only passenger seat, shivering.

"Brrrrrr," Goku vocalized. "Why is it so cold?"

"I am a robot," their pilot reminded. "I do not sense heat or cold."

"You're lucky," the boy murmured, scooting even closer to his friend as he tried to warm up. "I'm freezing!" He couldn't quite hold in a sneeze and shot an apologetic grin at the girl when she made a face. "S-sorry."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it," she sighed.

They flew on for a little while longer before she returned the favor, and they both ended up laughing-but that didn't last long. It just kept getting colder and colder, and soon it was all they could do just to hold onto each other they were shaking so hard.

"I-I never knew it could be this c-cold," he shuddered, teeth chattering in his skull.

"Extreme cold is typical of the Northern regions," their mechanical pilot informed.

"T-the N-North? That e-explains it... D-doesn't matter where I am, I guess that one m-mistake at that p-party will always haunt me... W-w-what I wouldn't give for a fire rat cloak right about now," Kagome mumbled to herself.

"W-w-what's a f-fire rat?" Goku questioned, tugging on her sleeve.

She winced. "N-n-nothing..."

He didn't really believe that, but he decided to drop it for the moment as he pulled out the radar to check how close they were. "H-hey, we need to land!" he announced. "M-mister robot, we need to land here! Are you l-listening?! Hello?"

Their pilot's next words were some of the scariest he'd ever heard. "Circuits frozen-frozen-frozen-frozen..." And then it stopped completely.

"O-oh no!" the boy screamed. "We're gonna crash!"

Kagome tugged him closer, hugging him tight and hiding his face against her shoulder. "Calm down!" she barked. "We're going to be alright, got it? I-I'm going to make sure of it. I promise, we're-"

The crash came before she could finish her sentence, but for just barely a second before he passed out... he could have sworn he saw a bright flash of light.

xxxx

Oh, _gods_. She hurt so much that she couldn't even breathe, though maybe that had just as much to do with the below-freezing temperatures as her forcing every last bit of the reiki that she had replenished into a barrier big enough for herself and Goku. They were both completely uninjured, so that was good - but now they were stranded in the middle of an icy tundra, she was tapped out even beyond getting wished on, and her pint-sized protector was unconscious.

This was definitely not a good day for her.

Using the last little drop of her power, she sent out a wave of quiet energy to call anyone that could sense it to come help them - and then she was swallowed up by the familiar wave of consuming darkness that seemed to be following her around as of late.

She really dreamed (because she would never use the word _wish_ , not even silently) that it would just leave her alone sometime soon.

xxxx

Goku woke up next to a warm fire, his eyes slowly cracking open. He heard voices... He was inside?

A child - girl? - came up next to him, with flaming red hair and bright eyes. Right behind was an adult, carrying a steaming mug of something that smelled wonderfully inviting. His brain still felt fuzzy, but he was pretty darn sure that he didn't know these people.

"Who're you?" he murmured.

"I'm Snow!" the kid introduced herself.

Yup, didn't know that name. "I'm cold," he grumbled, sinking further into the blanket that had been wrapped around him. Kagome must have gotten it for him - wait. Kagome. They were in a plane crash! "Where's my friend? I'd like to see her," the boy requested, trying not to panic. If someone had found him, then someone had to have found her, too.

... Right?

The redhead's face fell. "I... I'm sorry," she mumbled, her eyes filling with tears. "I-I could only carry one of you, and she didn't seem to be breathing... By the time the blizzard calmed down and Mama and I went back to get her, she was gone..."

No. No, no, no, no, no! That had to be a lie! She had _promised_ him that they were going to be alright! _They_ , not just _him_! He struggled to untangle himself from the blanket, practically knocking his chair over in the process. The adult quickly placed the tray she(?) was carrying down and hurried to steady it.

"Calm down!" one of them hurried to sooth him. He didn't look up, didn't care which one had said it.

"I-I gotta go find her!" he yelped, still trying to get unstuck.

"She wasn't _there_ ," the same voice tried again. "We managed to find where it was that Snow had found _you_ because she was smart enough to mark one of the trees - but she just wasn't there, not even when we dug around in the snow for a while. She must have gotten taken by someone else."

He deflated. "But... _who_...?" he sniffled, feeling his eyes begin to water. "I-I have to get her back. She's my friend!"

"It's alright," he was assured gently. "I'm sure you'll find her. Just rest for now."

The redhead started talking to him, probably trying to distract him. He didn't mind that so much - he didn't really want to start crying right now. Besides, it sounded like these people could really use his help...

Okay, that was that. He was going to help these people save their chief to repay them for saving him.

That the soldiers ended up coming to him was only a bonus. He could just follow their tracks back to their hideout and be done that much faster! And once he was done, he could go out and find Kagome. Then he could bring her back here and they could all eat together, and everything was going to be okay.

It just had to be.

xxxx

Kagome's eyes slid open slowly. She felt so heavy, and she could literally see her breath puff out in front of her face in little white clouds - why was it so cold? She stared blankly for a while before realizing that what she was looking at was a ceiling, so at least that meant that she wasn't outside in the snow anymore.

But where was she? Why couldn't she sense Goku?

And would someone _please_ stop that stupid whooshing sound? Her head hurt enough without it, thank you very much.

"You're awake, child," someone murmured as if from a distance.

The priestess shifted her mouth and attempted to speak, but all that came out was a hoarse cough. Yet again, she swore to herself that she was going to kill Suzumiya someday for making that wish.

"Easy now, young lady," an elderly voice hushed her softly, an old man coming into view and laying another blanket on top of her. "You've been through quite an ordeal, and you have a very high fever. Just rest for now."

She didn't like it, but she didn't have much choice. She drifted back off to sleep.

xxxx

Goku stared up at the tower, his jaw set in determination. All he had to do was find the chief, and he could go back and look for his friend.

He vaulted up onto the wall with his Power Pole and hunted for a way inside.

"This place is huge!" he murmured to himself. "The chief could be anywhere..."

"I see you, intruder!" a voice spoke up out of nowhere, causing him to look around wildly for the person who had spoken. "Welcome to Muscle Tower!" it laughed.

"Where are you?" he asked, still glancing this way and that. "I can't see you!"

"What's it to you?" the voice demanded. "You're the trespasser, what do you want?"

"I came to take the chief back to his village!" he admitted.

"The chief? I see. You've been sent here to retrieve him, have you? Then by all means, come and get him! Take the stairs all the way to the top floor. You'll find him there." The door on the side of the wall gave a click, grabbing the boy's attention. "Just be sure to watch your step on the way up," the voice cackled.

"Thanks," he huffed. "That's exactly what I'll do!"

Without another word, he pushed the door open and entered.

Three men showed up before him, saying something about 'sharing'. He wasn't paying as much attention to their words as to their weapons, and he quickly beat them all up. He was in a hurry, didn't they get that!

With the men all knocked out, he gave a sigh. "I'm starting to work up a sweat..." Walking over to the wall, he pulled off the coat and hat that he had borrowed from Snow. "That's better," he grinned to himself, tugging his Power Pole back up onto his back and tying the strap that kept it there. He quickly ran up the stairs, finding himself in another room.

"Stop," a deep, almost mechanical voice demanded from nearby, coming out of nowhere and surprising him. "Intruder." A large man stood up, even bigger than some of those guys he'd gone up against at the martial arts tournament, and took a step towards him.

"Wow," Goku gaped. "You're huge!"

"I am the guard sent to destroy. You must get past me to proceed upstairs," the giant stated as it stared down at him. At least, he thought that the guy was staring down at him. It was a little hard to tell with the sunglasses.

"You mean... a fight?" the boy checked.

He didn't respond, but his glove creaked as he made a fist. "You're dead."

Goku hurried to dodge the blow, delivering one of his own in turn and laying the large man out. "That was easy!" he laughed, starting towards the next set of stairs. "I bet I'll find the chief in no time. Going up!"

He wasn't expecting to get grabbed from behind, or to get squeezed so tightly. "Going _down_ ," the guy corrected.

It hurt, and he couldn't help but cry out a bit as he tried to get free. It took a little bit, but he did manage it. "That was pretty good," he huffed, "but it's my turn now!" He rushed in quickly, jumping up and kicking the soldier heavily in the chest - so heavily that he slammed against the wall and broke part of it. He grinned to himself and turned back around. " _That_ got him."

Of course, then he stood up again and proved the boy wrong.

Goku ended up taking a blow himself, almost got stomped on, and started to take the fight a little more seriously. Though it _really_ hurt when he head-butted the man - and what the heck was with his tongue?! He shot it out and the wall exploded!

How did he actually get it back in? Did he have two of them or something?

Well, one good trick deserved another. He used his Kamehameha, only to start freaking out when the guy's whole head came off. He'd only meant to stop him!

And even then, the guy got up and kept fighting. This was getting ridiculous! What was it going to take to keep the man down?! The boy dodged out of the way of more attacks, finally getting behind the soldier and hitting him with his Power Pole. The soldier started slowing down some, but still kept fighting - but it was really weird when Goku blocked his fist and it blew up. But still, not even that was enough.

He got stomped and kicked away, finally losing his patience. "That's it! I've had it with this fight!"

He punched a hole in the man's chest, getting even more annoyed when the guy just _kept going_. Finally, after what felt like forever, the soldier stopped moving. After checking really quick that he wasn't going to get up again, the boy heaved a relieved sigh. That was tough. He hoped that there weren't going to be any more opponents like that; he had to finish this soon. He had to repay his debt and get out of here so that he could go find Kagome.

The boy rushed up the stairs, hesitating only a little bit when he saw how dark it was. A blow came at him and he hurried to dodge, ending up accidentally smacking against a rock. He looked around, surprised to see that it was like a whole forest inside.

Why would anyone plant trees _inside_?

More was thrown at him and he hurriedly dodged, finally coming to a stop behind one of the trees. "Who's there?!" he shouted. "Show yourself!"

The lights came on, surprising him a bit.

"You are trespassing on private property," a voice spoke up from somewhere nearby. "You are the first person to reach the fourth floor of Muscle Tower uninvited. I am here to make sure that you are also the _last_."

Goku glanced around this way and that, trying to find the guy. "Who are you?" he asked. "And _where_ are you?"

He ducked quickly when something else was thrown at him.

"I am a messenger of death," the voice stated. "The great ninja, Murasaki! The only time you'll see me is just before your final breath." And then he started laughing.

The boy knew that he was close. He could feel it. But where...?

Behind! He quickly turned around, catching sight of the guy and darting out of the way as he brought his sword down on the rock that Goku had previously been hiding behind.

"You little brat!"

He gave a sigh. "That was close..."

"You weren't supposed to dodge that!" the soldier barked sharply.

The boy quickly picked up a rock. "Okay, it's my turn... Show yourself!" He leapt out into the open. "Right now!"

"You dare to challenge me?!" the man growled. "So be it!"

Goku kept a close eye on his surroundings, waiting for the guy to just appear already. He could sense him out in the trees, but he just kept jumping around! Finally, he caught the pattern and threw his rock, managing to hit the soldier.

He had no idea what was such a big deal about the picture he picked up, though. This didn't really feel like a fight anymore, especially not when he was told to go to a tree and count.

"Twenty-four... twenty-five..." Wait. What came after twenty-five?

He turned around and asked, not really understanding why the guy got so mad. With a sigh, he went back to the tree and started over after remembering that it was twenty-six. He did like this game, but he didn't have a lot of time to play around.

Finally, after looking around for a while and even going through the house, he heard something weird with one of the reeds in the lake - and then saw bubbles.

He grinned and went back inside, grabbing the steaming kettle, and poured the water down into the reed. The man came out of the water pretty fast, and somehow _that_ ended up leading to a race.

Really, this felt more like joking around with Krillin than a fight...

The spikes were a dirty trick, but he had seen some shoes back in the guy's house that could take care of that. After going back and getting them, he hurried back out to continue the race. It was kind of fun, but he really did need to hurry.

Finally, the guy couldn't run anymore. Goku just laughed, knowing that he had won. The talk about killing him wasn't very nice.

"The games are over," the soldier stated.

"Oh, good," the boy grinned. "I really need to get out of here soon."

The man twitched and drew his sword. "Oblivion awaits you!"

Goku just blinked. "Who's that? Is he on the next floor?"

The guy growled. "Enough talk! My sword, once drawn, has never known defeat! Can you say the same thing about your stick?"

He frowned. His Power Pole wasn't a _stick_. It had been given to him by his grandpa.

The soldier charged, and Goku just waited for a moment before planting the pole and taking a step away with a mischievous grin.

The guy screamed when it went up his butt, but the boy just laughed. Now he wasn't the only one with a tail! The man ran around screaming for a while, and his laughter just continued. Finally, he retrieved it. "Can we break for a snack soon?"

He smashed the sword, just grinning to himself as he did so. Nothing could beat his Power Pole! Though, he was really starting to get hungry... Kagome would understand if he stopped and got something to eat before finding her, wouldn't she? She never minded when they were out looking for dragon balls and he wanted to get a snack.

The man ended up lying about being unarmed, after convincing Goku to fight him hand-to-hand - and that was really kind of frustrating. This guy really wasn't very nice at all! Though, when he started laughing, the boy started getting a little nervous...

Something sharp smacked into the back of his head and he yelped, falling over.

That really hurt... but he forced himself to sit back up.

"Ow, ow! No more dirty tricks!" he shouted at the soldier angrily. "Now it's my turn!"

"Impossible," the guy gaped. "No one could survive that kind of blow to the head, no one!" He reared back, looking mad. "What are you trying to do to me? Get back down on the ground where you belong!"

Goku growled and charged, chasing after the man when he tried running.

This fight was really getting on his nerves!

xxxx

She jolted awake to a metallic creak, still feeling light-headed and woozy - but at least she wasn't shivering as much anymore.

"Alright, old timer!" a voice announced. "Food's here!"

There was a brief stretch of silence, broken only by that continued whooshing sound.

"Hey, old man! Are you deaf?!"

"I will not eat while I am your prisoner," that same aged voice that had told her to rest earlier spoke. "Send the food to my people."

There was a clank. "Fine," the first person grunted irritably. "Let the ranch have it."

"What's all that noise I hear downstairs?"

Someone sighed. "It's nothing. There's some little boy running around."

"A little boy?" the elderly man repeated worriedly.

The other man snickered darkly. "He sneaked in, I guess to rescue you. Don't worry, he's probably in a million pieces by now."

She blinked hazily up at the ceiling, processing their words slowly.

"What! Why, you! Picking on an old man is one thing, but a little child?! You are barbaric! What if that were your own son, what kind of army fights children?!"

"Let go of me, you old fool! If he were my kid, I wouldn't send him here in the first place! What's the matter, aren't there any men in your village?! Pathetic." There was a loud, grumbling huff and another clank.

"What am I going to do...?" the elder murmured hopelessly to himself. "First they take this child in out of the snow and throw her in this cell with me when she should be getting medical attention, now they're attacking some little boy... I've got to do something, and quickly. That poor little boy is waste-huh? Cocoa! My favorite! Wait, why isn't there any food here for this girl? She's sick! She needs to eat! I knew they were barbarians."

Kagome let out a heavy sigh and let her eyes close once more, her senses spreading out sluggishly over her surroundings. It was a large building, whatever it was. There were so many people scattered all over the place, some awake and some unconscious, but coming closer and closer was a strong golden aura free of all taint...

She smiled weakly to herself and drifted off once more. "Goku..."

xxxx

"Hey, wait!" the boy shouted, rushing after the soldier that called himself a ninja. He was really starting to get frustrated with this guy. "Wait, stop will ya! I don't have time for this!" Didn't they get it yet? He needed to finish saving the village chief so that he could go find his friend!

The man threw another smoke bomb at him, stopping him for a moment as he burst into coughing. By the time the noxious cloud faded some, the guy was halfway across the pond.

He didn't get what the big deal was with the weird shoes, or why the man didn't seem to think that he could just swim across. Who cared if there were a bunch of pajamas in the water? The guy tried saying something else as well, but Goku couldn't hear him.

It was kinda scary seeing what happened when the soldier threw a giant fish in the water and it got all eaten up in barely a matter of seconds, but that wasn't going to stop him.

He just jumped across. Again, he didn't see why the guy was so mad about it; shouldn't _he_ have been the one that was getting upset? He'd already said that he didn't have time for this stuff, and yet it just kept going!

Especially when the one guy turned into five. That was kinda freaky, and he just couldn't figure out which one was real - just that they were all trying to hurt him. After they said that they were really brothers, that made a little more sense - but still, five-on-one wasn't very fair. But, well, he'd learned how to make afterimages at the tournament. He could just return the favor!

He took them all out quick as he could, the eldest running around and dodging him for a bit longer before letting somebody else out of what looked like a cage. Somebody even huger than the _first_ guy he'd had to fight in the tower!

Dang it, he was never going to find Kagome at this rate...

xxxx

The priestess was dreaming. She knew that she was dreaming - it happened often enough. What she didn't know for sure was _why_ she was dreaming of this, and why _now_.

She was in the well clearing, in the Sengoku period - and there, staring down into the dark shaft as if expecting her to climb back out at any moment, was Sesshoumaru. He looked just as cold and detached as ever, his hands tucked into his sleeves and the breeze playing with his silvery hair. Kami, she had always envied that hair.

"You have fallen through space once more, little sister," he murmured softly.

"Yeah, well, I didn't _mean_ to," she scoffed childishly.

He sighed almost as if he had heard her, but he still didn't turn around. "This one must remind you to keep a civil tongue in that head. You are no longer some homeless mongrel to walk the streets as you please."

She flinched a bit. "Hey! I was never _homeless_!" she protested.

"This one shall continue caring for your ward. The fox understands that there is great likelihood that you will not be able to return, and he will eventually come to accept this," he stated simply. "Also, do not concern yourself with the East. They have been properly subjugated as per the terms of our treaties, and Suzumiya has been formally stripped of all titles. His own Lands would even reject him now."

Kagome wasn't sure if she was happy about that or not, but she knew that it had been inevitable. The East had broken their blood oath, and the West was more than just entitled to punish them for it - they were expected to. That the Lands were still even around to reject their young ruler was already more merciful than she'd been imagining.

"You will, doubtless, attract trouble to yourself as a moth to flame," the inu spoke, his words getting softer as he reached out and placed one hand against the worn wood. "But in so doing, you will also once more find yourself surrounded by those of like minds. Do as you will, just as you have always done, and this one believes that not even Death will be able to capture you. Simply remember to do so _intelligently_ for once."

She scowled. And there she had thought for a second that he was going to let her feel good about herself. "Asshole."

He shook his head, almost appearing amused as he lifted a package up over the well - wait, was that her backpack? That was her backpack! Oh, she took it all back! "Live well, sister, and may the day come that we shall meet again."

The bag fell down into the well, disappearing with a flash of light, and she couldn't help but smile warmly as her adopted brother took a step away from the structure. "Thank you."

The Lord huffed and turned, beginning to walk back towards the village below where he had most likely left Rin and Shippou. "Gods willing, you will perhaps even find that before you need it and not get lost even further in the process. Graceless little thing."

The priestess twitched and tried to pick up a rock to throw at him, but her hand passed right through. "You know what? I was right the first time! You really are an asshole!"

She could have been wrong, but she almost thought she saw his lips quirk up a bit.

xxxx

Goku actually kind of liked this big guy; he seemed nice. The Murasaki guy was really mean, but _he_ didn't actually have any interest in hurting people. He didn't even like it that they were keeping the village chief hostage!

Before the soldier in purple could blow the giant up, the boy smashed the controller and knocked the man out. His new friend's name was apparently Android #8.

They talked for a bit, but Goku really was in a hurry. He ran up the next flight of stairs after shouting goodbye, finding himself in yet another new room that he just couldn't seem to get to the exit of! No matter where he went, it was one dead-end after another. He was just tiring himself out in here...

He heard something off in the distance, a series of thumps that got louder and louder. It surprised him when #8 poked his head around the corner, but he definitely wasn't going to turn down some help. He'd wasted a lot of time already, he didn't need to waste any more.

The boy followed 8er through the maze, both of them stopping to fight when the giant heard a bunch of soldiers coming towards them. Well, more like Goku fought. The big guy just tried to stay out of the way, even if he did end up tripping one of the men. After they were all out, the two did their best to find their way to the stairs. The fake wall really threw them off, but they managed to get through in the end.

Up they went to the next level, skipping past floor five since there was no way into it. Besides, 8er said that the chief was being held up on the sixth.

"Hey!" the boy shouted as he threw the door to the command center open. "You there! Are you the one in charge?"

A purple-haired man stood up from the lone chair, remaining silent.

"Hand over the village chief now!" he demanded, his new friend coming up behind him.

The man turned around. "I am surprised you made it," he smirked. "I'm impressed. You are a fierce rival - I would like you to join my army."

Goku stuck his tongue out disgustedly. "No way! This is a horrible place!"

"General White, sir," #8 spoke up politely. "Please put an end to your evil ways..."

"Heh," the man scoffed. "The dirty traitor speaks out. Well, you still have a tongue but your guts are gone!"

The boy growled, not liking the way he was talking to his friend.

"That's not true," the giant protested.

"Who brought you to life?" the general argued. "Tell me."

8er's face twisted with fear and guilt.

"Remind me," the man continued. "Who was it that built you painstakingly, piece by piece? Who gave you this body? Tell me who it was! Tell me!"

The giant looked away. "Sir, it was you. General White and the Red Ribbon army."

"Now is your last chance, 8," White ordered. "You can still destroy the kid... For me. For the army."

Goku _really_ didn't like the crestfallen expression that brought out of the giant.

"I just cannot do it," 8er murmured. "I cannot be a part of your bad deeds." He moved in front of the boy, still trying to make his creator see sense. "I beg of you. The boy is very strong - please surrender. It is the only thing that you can do."

The man didn't say anything, just shifted his hand a bit closer to a big red button on the console.

"I've had it with this guy!" Goku finally announced. "It's time to stop being nice!"

White smirked once more. "I think it is _you_ who should be surrendering."

Neither of the two had any idea what he was trying to say with that, but then he pushed the button and the floor opened up beneath them without any warning.

They both screamed as they fell down into the darkness.

xxxx

A/N: And so it continues... I just wanted to go ahead and throw in a quick 'thanks' for everyone who's reading this. I honestly didn't think it would end up getting much of any attention, but it's surpassed my expectations. Thank you!

Edit: 7/01/16


	5. Chapter 5

Kagome's pleasant(ish) dream was interrupted very rudely by someone yelling at her to get up and shaking her.

"What do you think you're doing?!" the old man that had been helping her shouted, the sounds of his voice and a struggle coming from over near where she assumed the door was. "That child is very sick! If you will not get her a doctor, than at least allow her to rest!"

"General White has a few questions," someone else scoffed. "If she's smart enough to give him the answers he wants, then we'll see about some medicine."

She grunted weakly when the blankets were torn away from her and she was picked up roughly, slung over a broad shoulder and jostled around until she felt like she was going to puke on the guy. That would definitely serve them right, but she got the distinct feeling that it wouldn't go over so well for her in the long run. Of course, that had never really stopped her from doing something before...

The priestess scoffed to herself and let her eyes crack open a bit, blinking sluggishly at the tail her current transport was sporting. It reminded her just a bit of Shippou's.

... Okay, fine. She would just wait to puke on this 'General' guy, then.

xxxx

The ground was farther away that he had expected, and it was a little painful when 8er fell on him, but the news that they were on the fifth floor was a bit disheartening. It was really creepy in here.

But, well, he would rather be stuck down there than give that bad man White _anything_ , much less hand over the ball he had and the radar that Bulma had given him. He very briefly rethought that decision when he saw the thing waiting for them in the dark. Very, _very_ briefly. He wouldn't give up just because someone was bigger than him. He'd beaten a ton of guys tougher than this thing in the past!

It was kind of disheartening when hitting him didn't even do anything but make him start laughing, though. Still, he wouldn't give up. He had to fulfill his promise, and he had to find his friend.

Getting electrocuted hurt, and getting chewed up was even worse. But he wouldn't let this guy win! He forced his way back out before he could get swallowed, and managed to dodge getting hit by that weird lightning attack again. He had to figure out something, he couldn't just keep running...

He was tired and getting kind of hungry. Maybe his Kamehameha would be able to do something, even if it _would_ make him even hungrier.

It was easy to start freaking out a bit when not even that worked, but he wasn't going to give in - and he definitely wasn't going to let himself or 8er get eaten! There had to be a weakness somewhere on the guy.

Finally, he had an idea. So long as the guy wasn't so flabby, he could hit him - he just had to make him firmer. And hadn't Snow said that he was _frozen stiff_ not so very long ago?

He blew a hole in the wall, only to remember that it was really, _really_ cold out there. 8er was lucky not to be able to feel the cold, and he hid quickly in his newest friend's jacket before he could freeze again together with his opponent.

He and the android both cheered when it worked, and the guy was blown to pieces in a couple of minutes. After that, it was only a matter of breaking through the ceiling and getting back up to floor six - which was easy enough, having such a hard skull. The boy blasted his way right through head-first.

"Surprise!" he shouted as he came up, laughing to himself and enjoying the warmth. The Power Pole got lowered down the hole for 8er to grab hold of, and he just knew that the end was in sight.

Getting shot really stung, though. He wished that people would stop trying to do that.

"This can't be happening to me!" the General yelped, taking a panicked step back as the android joined them.

Goku let out a growl. "This is your last chance, mister! Let the village chief go now!"

"You didn't say please," the man sneered, stumbling back another step.

" _Please_ give me the village chief right now," the boy demanded impatiently.

White just glared at him, bumping against the wall with nowhere else to go. "Not if you got down on your knees and begged!" he spat.

"I don't wanna hurt you," he admitted. "But I will if I have to!"

The General smirked and pulled his scarf and sweater off. "Ha," he scoffed sarcastically. "I guess I have no choice but to surrender. You _obviously_ have me at a disadvantage! I'm probably crazy for saying this, but..." His smirk widened. "Guess I'll risk it."

"Okay," Goku huffed impatiently as he shifted into a fighting stance. "I tried it the nice way. You asked for it!"

8er hurried to stop them, getting between the two. "Violence isn't the answer!" he rushed to say. "We must talk through our problems! We are men, not monsters."

White just scoffed and threw his sweater in the android's face. "Shut up!"

After checking that his friend was alright, the boy walked back up to the man and started dodging each of his punches, landing a few blows in turn. One finally got through, but it didn't do anything to him - he returned the favor by kicking the guy away. Thinking that he was out of it now, he turned his back on the man with a laugh.

Every bit of his hair immediately stood on end when his tail got grabbed, his energy all draining at once. The man started laughing and hoisted him up, ignoring #8 entirely as the giant once more tried to put an end to the conflict.

The boy was starting to get the feeling that the soldier would never really hear him.

Getting swung around made him dizzy, and slamming against the wall hurt - but with his tail free, he could move again. And he had every intention of making the soldier hurt even more than he did.

He pummeled the guy for a while, about to end it when 8er caught his arm.

"You've won!" the android tried to placate. "It's over!"

"Not yet," Goku argued heatedly, thoughts of all the bad things that the soldier had done running through his mind over and over again. "I have to finish him! Look at him. All he ever does is hurt people! If I don't end this right now, he'll never stop!"

"Maybe," his friend murmured softly. "But if you give into your anger, you'll be no different than he is."

The boy flinched. As... As bad as this guy...?

"Goku," 8er continued, "you're better than that!"

Slowly, he smiled at the giant. He never, _ever_ wanted to be as bad as White. "You're right. Thank you, 8er - you're a good person."

The android started stuttering and going red, but they were both pulled out of their little conversation when the General started trying to crawl away. He didn't get very far, but the boy was immediately on alert regardless.

"Hey!" he barked. "Where do you think _you're_ sneaking off to, mister?!"

The man growled at him for a moment, only to glance down and start chuckling.

Goku glared. "What's so funny? Get! Up!"

"Of course," White assented, getting back on his feet and raising both of his hands over his head. "I accept defeat. I will release the village chief."

Slowly, Goku relaxed a bit. "Great!" he grinned. "That was easy."

He and 8er both smiled at each other widely, following the guy to the door and ignoring his mumbles.

It slid open, revealing an old man that looked as if he had been trying to listen in.

They all gaped at him for a long moment before he jolted out of it.

"Get out," White grunted. "You're free to go."

"I-I'm free?" the chief repeated, blinking disbelievingly. "To leave? Really?" He glanced this way and that for a moment before going still and turning back to the General with narrowed eyes. "What about that poor girl your men dragged off earlier?"

Goku blinked. "Girl?"

"There's someone else being held captive?" 8er questioned worriedly.

The old man nodded. "There was a young girl that they dragged in and threw in the cell with me. She's very sick, but they came in earlier and took her away somewhere else saying that the General wanted to speak with her."

The boy frowned. "Did she have long black hair and blue eyes?" he checked.

The chief blinked down at him and nodded. "Do you know her?"

Goku was ready to punch someone again as he turned his gaze up and glared at White. "What did you do to Kagome!" he demanded.

The soldier just bared his teeth in a threatening grin and pulled out the same gun that he had tried to use on the boy earlier, grabbing the village chief by the neck and pointing it at his head. "Don't anyone move a single muscle or the old man gets it! We're going to leave nice and slow. Don't try to follow."

"Let me go!" the elder struggled.

"Don't hurt him!" Goku shouted worriedly.

"That's up to you," the General sneered. "Don't try anything heroic and he'll be just fine. His life is in your hands."

The old man yelped, and the boy's fists clenched. "Let him go! And give Kagome back!"

"Please," 8er tried yet again to mediate. "General!"

White laughed. " _No_. Watch me leave, or watch him die - it's your choice!"

Goku growled, feeling trapped. "You won't get away with this!" he declared. "I promise you that!"

The General just laughed even harder. "So what's it going to be, loser boy?"

Another growl bubbled up in his throat, one foot shifting forward.

"You do understand what _dead_ means, don't you?!" the man barked, cocking his pistol. "Take one more step, and it's curtains for grandpa! Then I'll give the order, and your little friend will be next!"

The boy snarled violently, starting to regret it just a bit that he didn't do what he had been about to earlier and finished the guy off. "Don't you dare touch her!"

"And just what are you going to do about it?" White sneered.

"Kill him!" the elder shouted. "Tear him apart! Rip him limb from limb! I don't care what happens to me, think of the village!"

He ended up changing his mind pretty quickly, though. The General tried convincing 8er to kill Goku after that, saying that he wouldn't kill the old man if he did. The boy decided that this had gone on for long enough.

"If you're going to hurt someone, hurt me!" he growled.

Of course, that ended up getting him shot in the back of the head... but 8er took care of it before he woke back up.

After they had made sure that he was okay, he insisted on finding Kagome - which took a while, but they managed to get one of the remaining soldiers to take them to her. She'd been moved to a different room, a blanket thrown over her carelessly.

The elder was right, though. She looked _really_ sick.

They quickly destroyed the tower and brought her back to Snow's house, both of them hiding in 8er's sweater from the cold. Goku sat quietly, curled up next to her. She just didn't look right like this.

Hesitantly, he reached out and held her hand. He hoped she got better soon.

xxxx

Kagome woke up slowly, her brain feeling hazy. She pushed herself upright, glancing around and taking in the small bedroom where she'd found herself sleeping.

"But that's the two-star ball," she heard Goku's voice faintly.

She smiled tiredly to herself. So, her little protector had found her after all...

Sinking back under the covers, she drifted back to sleep.

When she woke up again, it was to the door creaking open. "Kagome?" the boy called quietly, letting himself in. "Are you awake yet?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, trying to sit up. It came easier than it had before.

He hurried over, pushing her back down. "Hey, you should still be resting!" he scolded, making her wonder to herself just who was supposed to be the adult here. "You got really weak there, Kagome. I was worried."

"Goku, what happened?" she questioned with a sigh.

He told her all about Muscle Tower and his new friend the android, and she winced a bit. She should have been there to help him, but all she'd done was make more problems for him. Again, _who_ was supposed to be the adult here? He then went on to tell her about his visit with a doctor further up the mountain, getting a bomb removed from #8.

"But he couldn't fix my radar," the boy pouted. "So we're gonna have to go see Bulma and see if she will."

The priestess blinked. She'd heard about his other friends, including this Bulma girl - but a part of her hadn't really thought that she would end up meeting them. She'd been worse than useless up until this point, and yet... he'd still said 'we'. She smiled at him tiredly. "Are you sure? I know that I haven't exactly been a lot of help lately."

His nose wrinkled and he made a face at her. "Sure you have!" he argued. "You've told me all sorts of things that nobody else would, and you've stuck by me the whole time. Just because you've been sick doesn't mean you haven't helped."

Her smile became a bit more real and she reached out, patting the top of his head the same way she used to for Shippou. "Thanks, kid. That means a lot."

The boy stuck his tongue out at her. "I'm not a kid!"

She chuckled, relaxing back into the blankets. "Yeah, you are. For now."

He grumbled petulantly to himself, but didn't leave until after she'd fallen back asleep.

xxxx

Goku was glad that Kagome was doing better, but he got the feeling that she was still a little sick. Ever since he'd met her, she seemed like she was always tired. She and Snow got along the moment she woke up, and the redhead seemed to almost be more upset about _her_ leaving than him.

Though he really was really, _really_ happy that his Nimbus was okay. The fact that he and Kagome could both ride it seemed to surprise the villagers, but he didn't understand why. Nimbus liked Kagome a lot.

The goodbyes were a bit longer than he'd expected, and his older friend stayed wrapped up in a blanket the whole way - he was a little worried that they were leaving too soon, but she had insisted that she was okay. Besides, it was a lot warmer in the air, and she managed to fall asleep on the way to West City.

Finally seeing the buildings rise up below, he slowed down and shook her awake.

"Wow," he gaped as they went lower. "So this is the city? Bulma actually lives here?"

Kagome smiled at him like he'd said something funny as she wrapped her blanket back up and stuffed it into the bag that the villagers had given her. "You haven't been to a place this big before?"

"Nuh-uh," he shook his head. "It's amazing!"

They landed quickly, both of them shuffling off the cloud.

"I've never seen so many people before," he murmured as they walked. "It's awfully noisy... and crowded."

His friend caught him quickly. "Careful," she warned. "You don't want to get run over."

He frowned and glanced around, seeing what she meant as a car zoomed by. "Why are they in such a hurry?" he wondered.

"Good question," the girl sighed, pulling him further down the sidewalk. "I guess it's just because they feel like they've got places they need to be. Come on, maybe we can find a map or a phone. Do you know Bulma's phone number?"

The boy blinked at her. "What's a phone?"

Her lips quirked up wryly. "It's a little device that lets people talk to each other over long distances," she explained, dragging him carefully through the masses.

"Couldn't we just ask someone where she lives?" he groaned.

She shook her head. "Little villages might know where everyone else lives, Goku, but big cities like this... Well, we'd be lucky to find someone who even knew what their own neighbor's name was."

He frowned. "That doesn't make any sense!"

Kagome laughed. "I agree. That's why I like villages better."

They walked along for a while, finally coming across a big group of people.

"What's that?" the boy questioned, tugging a bit on his friend's hand.

She glanced over. "Not sure. Do you want to check it out? We're not really in any kind of hurry, I guess."

He grinned up at her. "Sure!"

It turned out to be a couple of people fighting.

"What are they doing?" he questioned curiously.

"Looks like one of those street tournament sort of things. Where people fight each other for money," she sighed. "I'm not really interested in this sort of thing, I'll admit."

Goku huffed as one of the guys dropped out. "Doesn't seem like much of a challenge."

She chuckled. "Yeah, well... Come on, let's keep going."

"Okay," he agreed. "But I could win _really_ easy."

"I know you could," she admitted. "But that's not what we're looking for, remember?"

He pouted a bit. "Yeah, I know..."

"Oh, hey," she stopped after a bit of walking. "There's a policeman. Maybe we could ask him for a directory or something?"

"What's a directory?" he asked.

"It's like a list of people and their phone numbers or where they live," she explained as she tugged him across the street. "Excuse me, sir!" she called as they got closer. "I was hoping you could help us."

"We're looking for Bulma!" Goku explained.

"She's not missing or anything," Kagome was quick to add. "We're just lost."

The 'policeman' blinked down at them. "I... see. Do you know this Bulma's home address or have a description of her?"

The boy immediately pulled out a piece of paper and drew her quickly. "This is her!"

The man chuckled awkwardly. "Well, that's not quite enough to go on."

"Why not?" he questioned.

The girl sighed. "We're sorry for bothering you, sir. Do you think that maybe you could just point us towards a directory or something?"

"Well... Bulma. That's an interesting name," the policeman smiled, pulling out some kind of little device. "There aren't too many Bulmas out there. Maybe I can find her in here." He began pushing the buttons. "I'm not really supposed to be doing this," he admitted, "but here goes. Okay, Bulma; there's three of them."

"Thank you," Kagome murmured.

The man grinned. "Don't worry about it, young lady. Now, which one is your friend? Is it this one?" he asked, showing them the screen.

Goku laughed a bit. "That's not her!"

"Okay," the policeman nodded, pushing another button. "What about her?"

"Ah, that's her!" the boy announced excitedly. "That's Bulma!"

The man glanced down at the information, his eyes going wide. "Oh, golly! That there's the daughter of Capsule Corporation's president!"

"Come on," the boy prodded. "Tell us! Where does she live?"

"It's kind of far away," the policeman explained, pulling out a vehicle like the ones that Bulma had used before, "so I'll just give you a lift. It might be a little tight, but hop on, eh?"

"Thank you!" he laughed happily, both of them climbing onto the back behind him.

"You weren't lying to me about being this here girl's friend, were you?" the man checked as they drove.

"No, I'm her friend!" the boy assured.

"I've never actually met her," Kagome sighed. "But Goku has."

"Eh? I would've thought that she was _your_ friend, miss," the officer admitted.

"Well, I hope to be after this," the girl chuckled.

They finally came to a stop by a giant house, all three of them gaping at the size for a second before Goku took a deep breath, preparing to yell-

Kagome slapped a hand over his mouth. "How about we try the doorbell?"

He blinked up at her. "Wha's a doo'bell?" he asked around her hand.

xxxx

Edit: 7/01/16


	6. Chapter 6

After a brief explanation on what doorbells were and why they were better than yelling for someone when available, the officer pointed out that the intercom might be even better than that. Kagome's eye twitched. She might have grown up in Tokyo, but she'd also grown up on _shrine grounds_. Just how much money did these people have?

Ugh, whatever.

The policeman walked over and pressed the button, taking charge of the situation. She was grateful for the help, obviously, but it was a little annoying to be treated like some stupid kid when she was already _twenty_. "Ah, good day," the man spoke into the mic. "Uh, we're here to speak with Miss Bulma if she's available, please."

There was a slight beep. "Bulma is not on the premises, she has not yet returned from her schooling," a mechanical voice answered.

"Whoa," Goku gaped. "How can that pole talk?"

"It's not the pole talking," Kagome sighed. "It's the speaker that's attached to the pole. It takes sounds from one place to another - like phones, remember?"

He thought it over for a moment before nodding. "Oh."

"Ah," the officer hummed as he checked his watch. "That's right, it's not quite time for school to let out yet. What now? Should we wait here?"

"Yeah, we'll wait," the boy nodded. "But you can go ahead and leave."

"Oh-ho, no!" the man immediately rejected. "How do I know you're really her friend? I'd be in big trouble with the boss if I led a crook to the home of Dr. Briefs."

Kagome very determinedly did _not_ laugh at that last name. But it was difficult.

"We're not bad guys," Goku assured. "You don't have to worry about us."

"Well, anyway," the man continued. "Capsule Corporation is one of the most important companies in the world. The Briefs are very influential. It's hard to believe a strange little fella like you would know them. That's why I thought that maybe it was your big sister there that had a connection to Miss Bulma from school or something. One can never be too careful, you know."

The priestess fought a sigh. "We're not actually siblings," she murmured.

Goku, on the other hand, was already distracted by something else. "Hey, I'm picking up Bulma's scent," he announced.

"Huh?" the officer gawped. "Her scent?"

Kagome just smiled to herself. Yet another reminder that she _would_ find the one little boy in this strange world that was more demon than human - even if her senses insisted that he was neither. "Which way?"

The officer frowned. "I don't know, son, I don't smell anything."

Not even twenty seconds later, a... flying moped? screeched to a stop before them, with a blue-haired girl in the seat.

"Bulma!" Goku greeted with a laugh.

She took her goggles off and glanced over.

"Hi!" the boy grinned.

"Goku!" the girl smiled. "What are you doing here?" She quickly hopped off her ride and turned off her music. "How in the world did you find this place?"

"Well, we almost didn't," he admitted. "But Mr. Police here gave us a ride!"

"Wait, 'we'?" she blinked.

"Hi," Kagome greeted wryly.

The girl stared at her incredulously for a moment.

"Right," the man interrupted. "So are you, uh, actually related to _the_ Dr. Briefs?"

"Oh, yeah," the girl waved it off, quickly turning her attention back to Goku. "He's my dad. So what brings you here to see me? And who's your friend?"

"This is Kagome," he explained, all of them ignoring the way that the officer seemed to be sniffing the blue-haired teen. "I found her in the desert right after saying goodbye to everyone after the tournament, and she's been helping me find my grandpa. We came to ask for help; I'm pretty sure I broke the dragon radar. Do you think you could fix it for us?"

"Well, sure," the girl agreed easily. "No problem. Let's go take a look at it."

"'Kay!" the boy agreed.

"I'm Bulma," the teen introduced herself on their way towards the doors.

"So I've heard," the priestess chuckled. "Kagome."

"Wait!" the officer yelped behind them. "Miss, excuse me! I hate to ask, but do you think you could check out my bike while you're at it? It hasn't been running very well, there."

"Yeah, whatever," the girl agreed flippantly. "Okay."

"Hey, is it a school holiday today?" the man questioned as he ran to catch up. "Did they let you out early?"

"If you don't mind me asking, where do you shop?" the girl questioned with a giggle, very obviously ignoring the policeman. "I've _never_ seen clothes like that before, and I know _all_ the latest fashions."

The priestess glanced down at her clothes. She hadn't changed since arriving in this world, but she hadn't really thought about it - the haori and hakama were demon-made. They always stayed clean, and they even healed themselves if they got any rips or tears. She just wished that she had been wearing her sturdier set when she got attacked, that way she would feel like she had a bit of armor in case she got into trouble. Again. "These were a gift from my adopted brother, actually," she explained. "He had them made for me after taking me in."

Because apparently her school uniform was _inappropriate_ for a member of the Western House. He'd doused the old thing in acid the moment it was off of her.

"Cool," the teen hummed thoughtfully. "I like the look. I'm home!" she shouted as they entered the building.

"Good afternoon, Miss Bulma," a pink robot dressed like a maid greeted.

A pink robot. Dressed like a _maid_.

This world was _so_ weird.

Goku got a strange look on his face and approached the machine curiously. "What are you?" he asked.

The thing's head twisted around a few times, finally popping up as its tongue came out.

The boy was _not_ the only one freaked out by that.

"So," Bulma spoke up, "where's my dad?

The robot went back to normal and turned to her. "Dr. Briefs is currently located in the garden," it informed them.

Kagome helped her little friend back to his feet, watching the machine warily.

"Oh, okay," the girl acknowledged, continuing to walk. "I really liked the stuffed quail last night. Why don't you make some more for us again tonight?"

The construct bowed. "It would be my pleasure, Miss Bulma."

Goku quickly stuck his own tongue out at it in retaliation before grabbing the priestess's hand and pulling her towards the teen and the policeman. "Hold on!" he requested with a slight laugh. "We're coming, too!"

Bulma raised an eyebrow at their joined hands curiously, but didn't say anything as she pressed a couple of buttons on a keypad beside the door.

It slid open, and Kagome's eyes widened.

"Whoa, nelly!" the officer exclaimed.

"We're outside again!" Goku gawked.

"Nah," the girl stated laconically as she started walking once more. "We're still indoors. This is our first floor garden."

Oh, dear kami. These were some of those people with _stupid_ money, weren't they?

"There are cats and dogs all over the place," the policeman murmured as they wandered along the path.

"Yeah, my dad rescues unwanted animals," the teen explained. "Mostly dogs and cats and dinosaurs-" Okay, Kagome was officially _done_ with trying to understand this world. _Done_. "-and gives them a home here."

"Oh," the officer nodded, seeming overwhelmed.

Nowhere near as overwhelmed as the priestess, of course, but she had gone through a kind of transition like this before when she'd fallen through that well... Sort of. She would be okay. Probably.

She still jumped when one of those promised dinosaurs poked its head out of the shrubs and let out a very soft little yip, but she would still be okay.

... Probably.

A man also came out of the undergrowth on a bicycle, drawing their attention. "Oh, don't mind him," he assured.

"Dad!" Bulma smiled. "There you are."

"Hm," the doctor smiled back. "Who're your guests?"

"I told you about him before," she reminded. "This is my friend Goku! The girl is his new partner, Kagome. I don't know her too well yet, but she seems pretty nice."

"She is!" Goku laughed brightly.

"Yes, of course," the man smiled, getting off his bike, going up to the policeman and grabbing his hands. "I've heard a lot about you, but I thought you were just a little fellow! You certainly don't look twelve years old to me."

"Well, you see, I'm not, uh," the officer stuttered.

" _No_ , Daddy!" the teen interrupted, going a bit red in the face.

"Not him," the boy spoke up. " _My_ name is Goku!"

"Oh, so you're the boy!" the doctor laughed.

"That's me," Goku agreed.

"That makes sense, you're much shorter!"

"This is the great scientist who created the dino-caps?" the policeman murmured to the blue-haired girl. "Incredible."

Bulma just gave a little growl.

"You're short, but you look pretty strong," the doctor continued obliviously.

The boy grinned and laughed, getting a bit distracted by the cat that was crawling on the man's shoulder. "Hi!" he greeted the little thing.

It mewed and hid behind the scientist's hair.

"We're going up to my room now," the girl spoke. "Check out the policeman's motorcycle for him, okay? Come on Goku, Kagome, let's go."

"Hey, no smooching up there," the doctor called after them impishly. "Understand?"

"You're so embarrassing!" Bulma screamed angrily.

The man just cackled. "That's my job!"

Bulma quickly led them up to her room, stomping and muttering away to herself. Goku caught Kagome's sleeve once they got there and the teen started tinkering with the radar. "What's smooching?" he questioned.

The priestess blushed a bit. Really? This was going to be up to her to explain, too? She might as well just give him The Talk and be done with it. "It's another way of saying 'kissing'. It's what people call it when they press their lips to someone else's. It's a way of showing someone that you really like them."

He blinked up at her. "Oh. But then why was Bulma so mad? I mean, doesn't she want us to like her?"

Her face heated a fraction more. "Different kind of like, kiddo."

"There are different kinds?" he gaped. "And I'm not a kid!"

She shook her head wryly, deciding to ignore that last part for the moment. "There are all sorts of kinds. You can like someone as a person, or as a friend, or even as family - but the big 'like' that most people talk about really means 'love', as in you see someone as either a mate or a potential mate."

He nodded slowly, seeming to understand. "So like with Chichi wanting to marry me."

"You got it," she affirmed.

The boy seemed to retreat into thought after that, and Kagome watched as the girl fixed the tiny machine. It was impressive.

"Wow," Goku finally spoke up after a couple of seconds, moving up towards the desk and peeking over the edge of it with curious eyes. "That looks difficult. Do you really know what's wrong with it?"

"Yeah," Bulma shrugged distractedly. "It looks like the A2 circuit got knocked loose. This is very delicate, Goku. You have to be more careful with it."

"But I am," he protested, poking at his chest. "I always keep it right here in my shirt."

"Well knowing you, somehow I doubt that's a very safe place," the girl sighed as she sat back and replaced the back. "There. All done!"

"Thank you!" the boy grinned.

The teen stood up and turned it on, blinking down at it for a second. "Goku, you've got two? That's all you've been able to find?" She shot him a look. "Taking it easy, are you?"

Goku laughed, unashamed. "No, the dragon balls just aren't very easy to find."

"Well," the girl huffed as she turned back to the device, "using the radar, I don't see how it could be that hard." She returned her eyes to the boy once more, propping one hand on her hip with a somewhat arrogant look on her face. "With my help, you'd find the rest in no time! You know?"

He frowned. "No, thanks," he rejected without a single thought. "We don't need any help; you would just slow us down."

Kagome flinched a bit, feeling somewhat self-conscious.

"Oh, is that so?!" the teen growled. "I guess next time, you'll fix the radar yourself!"

"But you can't even ride on the Flying Nimbus!" he argued.

Bulma glared at him. "And what about Kagome, huh?!"

The boy crossed his arms over the back of his head. "Kagome can ride Nimbus just fine! It really likes her!"

The teen wilted. "She... can? No, wait, that's not important! I can, too!"

Goku stared up at her in surprise. "So you're saying you're completely good now?"

Bulma snarled. "I am an exceptionally good person!" she screamed, turning away with a more modest expression. "My only crime is being beautiful."

Okay, face and words did _not_ match there.

The boy took a slight step back. "Uh..."

The teen held up her arm, showcasing a pink... wristwatch?

"Watch!" she declared. "This is my newest thing."

Goku blinked at it. "What's it do?"

"It's my own invention!" she bragged. "The microband! When I push this button, I shrink down to a fraction of my normal size."

To prove her point, she pushed it - and did indeed shrink.

It reminded Kagome just a bit of home. More specifically: Myouga.

"Whoa," the boy gaped as he squatted down to stare at the teen. "That is really neat. You're not even as tall as my knee!"

"Sometimes I even amaze myself," the miniaturized girl boasted, propping her hands on her hips. "And as long as I'm shrunk like this, you'll be able to carry me with you on the Nimbus no sweat! Yeah, I bet that'll work just fine! Come on Goku, please? Let's try it just once! I'll take you on a guided tour of the city!"

She was abruptly cut off by someone stepping on her.

"Oh, my, you must be little Goku," an airy voice chirped, dragging their attention up to the face of a rather... filled out... blonde woman. "Hi, there! How do you do? I'm Bulma's mother, Mrs. Briefs."

The blue-haired girl in question gave a muffled squeal, but the older woman just let out a genial laugh - before her daughter returned to her normal size, at least.

Kagome shook her head and sighed. This day was getting... loud.

"Bulma, darling, you scared me!" the blonde gasped. "What are you doing underneath my foot?"

"Mom, _you_ stepped on _me_!" the teen screeched.

"Well I don't understand why you wanna shrink yourself anyway," the woman defended.

"Watch your step when you come in my room!" Bulma snarled.

"Hey!" the priestess finally cut in, stepping up and smacking the girl upside the head. "There is no reason to speak to your mother like that!"

The teen gaped at her disbelievingly. "What... did you..."

"Don't. Talk. To your mother like that," she repeated. "If it was _my_ mom, I would've been grounded for a month."

"Well maybe you should just go home and let your mom ground you then, so you'd stop butting into other people's business!" the girl retorted sharply.

Her fist clenched at her side. "... I would love to," she stated flatly. "But she's dead."

Bulma's mouth immediately snapped shut, her eyes going wide.

"Oh, dear," Mrs. Briefs murmured.

Kagome sighed and looked away. "Look, it's no big deal. There was an accident four years ago, there's been plenty of time for me to get used to it. Just... be nicer to your mother, okay? You don't know if she's always going to be around

The blue-haired teen's face colored with remorse. "... Sorry, Mom..."

The blonde smiled at her gently. "You're forgiven, dear."

Goku glanced up, seeming to remember something. "Hey, where are Oolong and Yamcha? Do both of them still live here with you?"

"Well, yes," the woman assured as she set the tray that she was carrying down and crouched just a bit closer to Goku's level. "Yamcha and Oolong should be around here somewhere, but Yamcha and Bulma are having a little-"

The blue-haired teen quickly covered her mother's mouth. "Mom!"

"-a teeny little lovers' tiff," the blonde continued, pulling the hand away.

"We don't need to talk about this," the girl groaned pitifully.

"Hm..." the boy just blinked. "A tiff?"

"An argument," Kagome explained automatically when he glanced up at her.

He frowned. "Oh. Are you okay?"

She glanced down and gave him a weak smile. "I'm fine."

He obviously didn't believe her.

xxxx

"So what are you fighting about?" Goku questioned, deciding to ask Kagome what was wrong later. She might have _said_ that she was fine, but he knew her better than that.

The blonde just smiled at him. "You see, Bulma doesn't like it when-"

She was interrupted by a bunch of voices suddenly rising up out of nowhere.

"Ueh," the boy shuddered, glancing around to try and find the source. "Who's making all that noise?"

"Well yep, they're back," the woman sighed, pointing towards the window. "That gaggle of screaming girls is Yamcha's fan club."

"What?" Goku questioned.

Bulma gave a short, frustrated growl.

The boy opened the window and glanced out, shivering. His ears felt terrible! "I wish they'd be quiet... Hey!" he shouted down at them, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Stop yelling! Yamcha's not even here right now!"

They immediately got disappointed and started talking to each other.

Goku turned to Kagome, feeling very much out of his league. "Is there something wrong with them?" he asked, pointing below.

"Why?" the blonde questioned before she could answer.

"I don't understand why they're acting like that," he explained.

"It's because they like him," Kagome cut in. "As in that big kind of like that I was telling you about earlier. Some people do really stupid things in the name of love."

Bulma just snarled to herself, finally stomping over to the window right as the boy was about to ask more. "SHUT UP!" she shouted at them. "GO AWAY! THERE'S NO TELLING WHEN YAMCHA WILL BE BACK!"

The girls glared up at her and she turned around angrily.

"Hey, let's go," she barked at him. "I'll take you sightseeing in the city."

"So, do you see now?" Mrs. Briefs asked him as her daughter stalked further inside. "Yamcha's what they call a catch, you know. He's good-lookin' and rich, too. That makes him popular with the girls, and Bulma doesn't like it."

"Understandably," Kagome sighed before the blue-haired girl could explode again. "No one wants to see the guy that they love surrounded by other women."

Bulma stared over at the other girl for a long moment before relaxing a bit. "Thanks."

She just shrugged. "Trust me, I've been there. Only, _I_ was the rebound while the jerk was still running around with his ex."

Bulma cringed. "Ouch. Tell me you dumped his sorry butt."

The raven-haired girl shook her head wryly. "Oh, I dumped him alright," she chuckled. "And then I went and got adopted by his estranged, totally gorgeous half-brother."

They held each other's gazes for a long moment before both grinned, nodding to one another in agreement on something. A strange, wordless understanding seemed to have just snapped into place. Goku didn't really understand what was going on, but he wasn't so sure that he wanted to either.

"Come on," the blue-haired girl offered, seeming less stressed. "I know some awesome little boutiques downtown."

"That sounds nice. I haven't gone shopping in _forever_!"

"Oh, I know _just_ the place. Hurry it up, Goku! We're going to leave without you!"

The boy followed them cautiously out of the room.

"Bulma!" Dr. Briefs called out as they walked past him and the policeman. "Where are you off to?"

"Just around, Daddy!" she shouted back over her shoulder.

Kagome giggled, the sound light and tinkling, and the girls hooked arms. "Just around," she agreed. "And maybe a little bit of retail therapy somewhere along the way."

"Always!" Bulma laughed.

Again, Goku had _no_ idea what was going on - but he was too scared to ask.

"Okay!" the blue-haired girl announced once they'd gotten outside. "What do you say we get moving? You guys have the whole city to see!"

"Great!" the boy grinned. _This_ he understood. "Oh, Nimbus!" he shouted.

The cloud swooped down in front of them quickly.

"Guess that's my cue!" Bulma declared brightly, pushing that button that made her shrink down again.

Goku picked her up and hopped up onto Nimbus, tucking her into the front of his shirt as Kagome settled in behind him. "So," he glanced between the two girls with a wide grin, "ready to go?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Kagome teased.

"Let's do it!" Bulma announced excitedly.

They took off like a shot, darting into the air and up over the buildings.

"How cool!" the blue-haired girl gasped.

"I love it up here," Goku sighed, happy to once more be moving.

Kagome gave a soft sigh of her own, and it was easy to hear the smile in her words. "I've done a lot of things, but flying will probably always be my favorite."

He glanced back and grinned at her, in complete agreement.

"Look!" Bulma called, pointing down. "Over there!" The other girl leaned over so that she was looking over the boy shoulder to see what she was pointing at. "That's the biggest shopping mall in the city."

"Let's go, then!" the boy offered.

"Oh, Goku," Kagome cackled. "You have no idea what you've just gotten yourself into."

They swooped down before he could ask what she meant by that, and he felt his eyes go wide at all the different stuff all jumbled together in one place.

"This street is busy," he chuckled to himself as they darted back out.

"It's not really a street," the black-haired girl told him, sounding amused.

His nose wrinkled in confusion and he glanced back at her. "Then what was it?"

She shook her head. "I'll tell you more later. For now, let's just have fun."

He thought it over for a second, but had to agree with her - especially when he saw this really strange dome rising up into the sky. "What is _that_?"

"That's an amusement park," Bulma explained. "It just opened; I've never been there. Hey! Why don't we go?" she suggested excitedly, drawing their attention down to her. "Oh, it looks like so much fun! Oh, yeah. Let's spend the whole day up there!"

Goku grinned. "Great!"

"Sure!" Kagome also agreed.

A familiar scent reached the boy's nose and he glanced down. "Yamcha!"

Bulma let out an angry sound, but he didn't pay her much attention.

"Nimbus, go down there!" he requested.

"Hey, wait!" the blue-haired girl shouted. She crossed her arms over her chest sourly when it became obvious that he wasn't listening. "Stupid Yamcha..."

"Yaaaamchaaaa!" he called as they swooped down. "It's Goku!"

As soon as they were close enough to the ground, he jumped down.

"I'm here!" he announced.

"Goku!" the older boy greeted, together with Pu'ar's own cheer of welcome.

"Hey, kid!" Oolong chimed in. "What's shakin'?"

"Hey, Oolong!" he grinned. "Hey, Pu'ar!"

"What brings you here?" Yamcha questioned.

"Dammit, Goku!" Kagome huffed, breaking into the conversation as she also stomped over. The Nimbus, having let her down, went ahead and flew off again. "You know it freaks me out when you do that."

"Oh, sorry Kagome," he apologized immediately. "I just got really excited!"

The three others gaped at her dumbly.

"Well, _hello_ there!" Oolong finally broke the silence, scurrying over to the girl. "You look like a gal who appreciates the finer things in life! What's your opinion on swine, doll?"

The girl stared down at him, face blank and unimpressed. "I prefer canines."

He wilted.

"Guys, this is Kagome," Goku introduced. "She's my new friend! We've been looking for my grandpa's dragon ball together."

"Nice to meet you," she smiled at them politely.

"First Bulma, now this chick," Oolong grumbled to himself. "Some guys've just got all the luck... Hey, speaking of Bulma, did you come here to see her?"

"Yeah!" the boy admitted. "I've got her right here," he explained, pointing to his shirt.

A jolt of pain suddenly when through his chest, causing him to cringe and glance down at his passenger. She just held a finger up to her lips and shook her head, signaling for him to stay quiet about her being there. He tilted his head uncertainly.

"What was that?" Yamcha asked.

He turned his attention back up to the older boy, wary of another pinch. "... Nothing."

Oolong moved over to his side, seeming to recover from Kagome's dismissal. "You, uh, hear about Bulma and Yamcha?" he asked, elbowing the boy suggestively. "She's got this kid sleeping in the doghouse if you know what I mean!"

"I guess," Goku agreed slowly. "I mean, I... I sure got the feeling that Bulma didn't want to see him."

The older boy cringed. "Did... she say that?" he asked, right before sinking to his knees.

"Are you okay?" Pu'ar questioned worriedly as he gave a pitiful groan.

"So, it's... just like I thought," he whined. "She really doesn't like me anymore!"

"Don't let it break your heart," the pig sighed. "As much abuse as that girl gives you, you're better off without her."

"I agree!" the cat joined in. "Don't tell anyone I said so, but I think she's a spoiled brat!"

" _Everybody_ says so!" Oolong snorted. "And she's too sensitive. Look, you've put up with her long enough."

Kagome shot them both a terrifying glare, but Yamcha spoke up before she could.

"Oh, I suppose you're right," the older boy sighed miserably. "She does get mad a lot. She's thoughtless... She's hard to handle... But still... she's the only-"

"Well, I'm _so_ sorry I'm _so_ awful!" Bulma finally exploded, climbing out of Goku's shirt and pressing the other button that made her full-sized again. She looked more than just angry this time, she looked hurt, too.

"Uh, Bulma?" Yamcha yelped. "Bulma, wait... I'm sorry!"

She swiveled on her heel and turned back to Goku. "We've gotta go right now!"

"Where?" the boy questioned.

"Where were we going before?" Kagome sighed, walking up to the girl and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, let's get over to the amusement park."

He brightened and hurried to follow the pair. "Sure, okay!"

"Hey, wait!" Yamcha called out behind them, a strained look of excitement coming over his face. "We're going to the same place! Wow, how strange - what a coincidence! This is just so odd!" he turned down to the other two. "I-isn't it, guys?"

"Huh?" the shape-shifters squeaked at once.

"Ooh!" Bulma growled as they continued walking. "It is so rude to talk badly about a girl behind her back!"

"I'm sorry!" the older boy rushed to apologize. "Wait! Bulma!"

"I have been meaning to go and check this place out," Pu'ar chirped, the trio catching up with them.

"Ice cream!" Oolong cheered in agreement.

"This is gonna be so fun!" Goku laughed excitedly.

Kagome sighed and nudged him with her hip. "I would hold off on saying that until we get there, kiddo," she murmured.

The both of them suddenly came up short, glancing over their shoulders.

"What's up, you two?" Oolong questioned.

They shared a glance, the boy quickly shrugging it off. "Oh, it's nothing," he assured.

The older girl bumped him again as they all continued walking, but didn't argue aloud.

xxxx

A/N: Wow, coming up on the end of this saga pretty fast. Luckily I've got a good bit already written, so that means that updates will be pretty consistent for a while longer. Again, thanks so much to everyone who's reading this!

Edit: 7/01/16


	7. Chapter 7

She knew that she had sensed something - and she knew that Goku had, too. From what he'd told her about his friends, she would have expected him to have wanted to warn them about the possible danger, but it was up to him in the end. She would just keep an eye out, just in case.

"Hey, the stairs are moving, guys!" the boy announced excitedly, bouncing up the steps of the escalator with a bright laugh. "Wow. Look at all those buildings! This is great!"

He played around a little more, jumping in place as they escalator kept going... right up until he collided with the pair of shape-shifters and they all went tumbling down. Kagome gave a quiet laugh of her own and helped him back to his feet, even as the two griped at him.

She could still feel the malicious intent directed at them, but she couldn't help but relax with Goku around. He just made everything seem... _lighter_ \- and for the girl who had spent the last five years stumbling around in the dark, that was something that she could truly appreciate. If anyone in this world would work their way under her skin, it was probably him.

They all gaped when the tunnel changed, the flashing lights and glowing shapes rushing past them in a swirl of colors. It was a bit dizzying, but everyone else's enjoyment of it made the priestess like it a bit better as well.

The ramp spat them out at the end, shooting them up into the air. Kagome just almost panicked for a moment, but reminded herself to calm down. They weren't under attack.

... Yet.

"Look at that lady," her pint-sized guardian pointed. "She's beautiful!"

"That's a statue, Goku," Bulma laughed.

"Y-yeah," the boy chuckled awkwardly. "I knew that."

The priestess shook her head. "She is pretty, isn't she?" she murmured conspiratorially to him. "Statue or not."

He grinned up at her gratefully and nodded.

"Welcome, everyone," the girl at the gate greeted them with a pleasant smile... and a voice scarily similar to Chichi's. Kagome fought a shudder and reminded herself, _again_ , that this wasn't a fight... Yet. "Please have your tickets ready."

"Where are they?" Oolong questioned, all of them watching Bulma expectantly.

"Hold on, wouldja?" the girl huffed, shuffling around in her pockets. "Uh... they were here before!"

Goku scurried up to the girl at the gate.

"Welcome to Dreamland!" she chirped brightly. "Tickets, please!"

He walked right on by as if he hadn't even heard her, causing her to jolt a bit.

"Hey, there!" she called demandingly after him. "Tickets!"

The boy walked back up to the girl, smiling in a way that said very clearly that he didn't understand. "I'm not Tickets," he told her, reaching out and shaking her hand. "My name's Goku! It's a pleasure to meet you, miss. Bye!"

Uh-oh. That blush would seem to suggest that her voice wasn't the only thing that was like Chichi.

Kagome sighed and quickly went after her little friend, flanked immediately by the others. "Sorry!" she apologized as she hurried after the boy, glad to hear that Bulma had managed to find their tickets before they all ran into the park.

The moment they were inside, Goku was unstoppable. It was expected, of course, but he somehow seemed even more energetic than always as he started dragging them from one ride to the next. The one that had them (well, all of them but the two teens) balancing on giant balls was interesting, but the priestess was almost grateful as she sat on hers effortlessly. After some of the things that Sesshoumaru had put her through, this could only be counted as taking a break from walking.

Suddenly, the boy turned around and caught something, causing her to jump a bit.

He glanced down at the object. "A walnut?" he murmured, glancing up and sniffing about for where it might have come from.

"Hey," Oolong called as they all rolled over to him. "What's wrong, Goku?"

"Well..." the boy sighed. "I feel like someone's watching me."

"Are you kidding?" the pig grumbled.

"No," he sighed. "I guess there are a lot of people in here, huh?"

"Thousands," the swine confirmed.

" _But_ ," Kagome interrupted before it could be dismissed, "I've been feeling the same thing as Goku. Like someone's watching us."

The boy blinked at her. "You can sense that kind of thing, too?"

"No way," Oolong snorted challengingly. "Sorry, toots, but you're just imagining it. Only guys with lots of training are able to pick up on that sort of thing."

She nearly blurted out that she _was_ one of those 'guys', but bit her tongue. Currently useless, she reminded herself. She wouldn't be able to prove it even if they'd asked her to. For now, it was a better idea just to watch and wait.

But damn, did it rankle.

"Let's just keep going," she sighed.

The Merry-Go-Round was next, though Kagome did sit that one out in order to wander around a bit. She found a stand selling ice cream and stopped, staring at it for a second before smiling and walking over to purchase two cones with some of the money that Bulma had given her at the park entrance.

By the time she came back, Goku and Pu'ar were both scrabbling to steal some of the pig's ice cream - and she couldn't help but laugh as she walked up and dangled one of the cones in the boy's face.

He skidded to an abrupt halt and gaped at the offering for a moment before giving her a bright grin and accepting it, "Gosh, Kagome, thanks!"

Again, Oolong grumbled about some guys having all the luck; because apparently the fact that Goku was _twelve_ was never taken into consideration. The priestess rolled her eyes and ignored him, but a scream for help grabbed all of their attention.

"Who's that?" the boy wondered.

Yamcha stood, a determined look on his face. "Let's find out!"

Before Kagome could point out the obvious 'could be a trap!', they were already running. With a sigh, she hurried to keep up with them - and was relieved to find that she had apparently come far enough along in her recovery, even despite having fallen sick (though they _had_ rested a whole extra week in that Northern village) to be able to do so without too much strain.

Though, well, she did admire that they were so eager to rush to someone's rescue. She had always had to argue with Inuyasha in the past in order to help anyone, but Goku and his friends didn't even stop to think before jumping into the thick of it.

That dream-Sesshoumaru had been right. She really had found herself surrounded by likeminded people.

Two men quickly tossed the woman away and ran for it, Goku rushing to catch them and the other three making sure that the woman was alright. The priestess barely glanced at the blonde, but felt something inside her freeze before she could follow after the boy.

That was not the aura of a victim. _That_ was the aura of someone who _made_ victims.

"Miss?" Yamcha questioned worriedly. "Uh-oh. She's out..." he announced.

"Is she hurt?" Goku worried as he joined them.

"I don't think so," the older boy sighed. "She fainted."

"Good," Kagome stated stiffly, watching the dark shadows swirl around the 'unconscious' woman. "Let's leave her and go."

They gaped up at her.

"Kagome..." her little protector spoke slowly. "What's wrong? Why don't you wanna help this person?"

"She doesn't _need_ it," she tried to convince him quietly. "Come on, please. Let's go."

"Okay lady, that is _it,_ " Oolong growled, getting between her and the blonde. "I don't know what your problem is, but you need to cut it out!"

The priestess's face paled slightly. "She is _not_ trustworthy! I can feel it!"

"Oh, like you could 'sense' someone watching us earlier?" the pig snorted.

Her hands curled into fists. "Look, I mean it! I-"

"And where did you even come from, anyway?" he continued. "You just show up out of nowhere with Goku here, and we all know he trusts way too easily! Where did you even come from, huh? Who's to say we can trust _you_?"

She stiffened, feeling her fingers begin to tremble. "I-I..."

"He is right," Pu'ar agreed softly.

"Guys," Goku protested, his voice weak.

Yamcha just sighed. "Now's not the time. We need to take care of this lady first, and we can talk everything out with Kagome later."

The priestess took an unsteady step back, her jaw clenching as they once more went about trying to rouse the woman. This... shouldn't have hurt so much. She had barely even met them, and they really didn't know _anything_ about her - but... those expressions reminded her of that look Inuyasha had given her, right before grabbing her and making that second wish.

Goku should have known her by now. If no one else, _he_ should have been able to tell them that she wouldn't screw around with this kind of thing.

Her eyes pricked with tears.

"Miss?" her little friend called. "Wake up!"

The blonde roused and glanced around. "Oh, you saved me!" she gasped, really laying on the charm. "Thank you..."

"Wow," Oolong gaped. "What a dish - she's gorgeous!"

Blondie just kept playing it up. "They... those bad men, they tried to... kill..."

Yamcha was completely red in the face. "O-oh, well..."

Goku stared at her intently for a long moment, giving the priestess some hope that maybe someone else was going to notice that it was all fake. "Hold it!" the boy requested. "Don't move." He leaned in closer, his expression serious. "Hey!" he finally pointed, letting out a laugh. "She's got a booger on her forehead!"

The others started scolding him, telling him that it was a mole and that he was being rude. He actually went and apologized to the bitch!

Kagome couldn't take it anymore. "Screw this," she whispered, turning and darting off in a random direction.

"Hey, wait!" the boy called after her. "Kagome, what's wrong!"

"Oh, just leave her," Oolong snorted. "Maybe when she comes back, she'll be willing to talk. You really shouldn't just trust everyone you see, Goku."

Ironic, the priestess sneered to herself as she swung around a corner at a run.

Wasn't that what the idiots were _all_ doing right then?

xxxx

Goku was worried. Everyone seemed to think that Kagome would just come back when she was ready, but he wasn't so sure about that - he'd never seen her that upset before. Why did it even matter where she came from? She was his friend, couldn't that just be enough?

He should apologize to her when he saw her again. He couldn't help but feel like he had done something wrong, no matter what Oolong said.

"Wow," Yamcha gasped. "You really can tell a person's fortune?"

The lady that they'd saved just nodded from her place sitting at a table with a crystal ball. "Yes, so could my great-grandmother; I guess I got the talent from her."

Goku gaped. "You mean... You see the future?"

"The past, as well," the woman agreed. "Yes, everything."

"Wow," Pu'ar exclaimed.

"Do you see stuff... about me?" the boy questioned.

She nodded again, turning down to her crystal. "Well, yes."

"Why don't you let her tell your fortune, Goku?" Yamcha suggested.

"Okay," he agreed, thinking to himself that maybe the lady could explain what he'd done wrong with Kagome earlier. Or maybe tell him whether or not she would forgive him. What if he brought her a snack as an apology?

"Please," the woman requested, "let go of all thoughts, all worries."

Goku just blinked. "Hm?" If only Kagome were here, she could have told him what this person was talking about...

"You've been to the North lately," the blonde spoke after a moment of staring at the ball. "To a very cold place... On an expedition! A mission of some kind... Oh, my. You were in great danger... I also see a tower. A very large tower."

"Muscle Tower!" the boy grinned. "You're right! That's incredible."

"You mean it's all true?" Oolong questioned.

"Every word," he assured.

The others all gasped in awe.

"Do you see anything else?" Goku requested.

"Of course," the woman murmured. "Just a moment... You have something. Concealed."

"Con... what?" he repeated, wishing yet again that his translator were there.

" _Hidden_ ," she rephrased a bit impatiently. "Oh, yes! I see!" she exclaimed, dropping her hands and opening her eyes. "You have two balls. They're very important, and they're hidden in your clothes."

"Oh, wow," the boy laughed. "She's right again, guys!"

"Young man," the woman continued. "May I see them, please? I believe that they hold the key to your future..."

"Well," he thought it over. "I guess so. Why not?"

Kagome really hadn't liked this lady, and now she was asking about what could only be the dragon balls. Something was wrong.

Luckily, playing dumb was his specialty.

He dropped his pants. "There!" he grinned.

The lady fell over.

"Well, thanks," he said a bit later as he fixed his clothes. "You knew all about me!"

"Not all about you," Oolong argued. "Just the private parts!"

They all laughed, even if the woman didn't seem to get the joke.

"Goku," Yamcha spoke up after they'd had a good chuckle. "I was just thinking. The two balls? Maybe she meant the dragon balls?"

The boy blinked. "Oh, yeah!" He pulled the bag out of his shirt and showed them, a part of him wondering if she would actually do something now that they were out in the open. "I'd forgotten all about the dragon balls." He held them up to the lady. "Are these them?"

There was a crash behind the curtain, drawing his attention.

"What's that?" he wondered, quickly moving to investigate. He frowned darkly when he saw the two men from earlier trying to escape out a window. "So, it's you again!" he growled. "Well, you're not getting away this time!"

He ran after them, only to realize that he was still holding the dragon balls. It would be harder to catch them without his hands.

"I'll hold them, Goku," Yamcha offered, taking them from him.

"Oh, thanks!" he said quickly, right before jumping up and leaping out the window after the two. He caught up easily. These guys were actually pretty slow, and _really_ bad at running away - even Oolong and Pu'ar were there right after he was.

"Busted!" the pig announced, crossing his arms threateningly. "Big time!"

xxxx

Kagome wandered aimlessly for a while, trying to clear her head. Finally, she decided that she was going to pull an Inuyasha and go for the highest point that she could find to brood - which would actually probably be the statue. The only problem? She had no idea how to get up there. Maybe if she could call the Nimbus, like Goku...

Wait. Why not?

She glanced up, looking from side to side to make sure that no one was watching her, and then turned her eyes skyward with a shy smile. "Nimbus!" she called, hoping that the little jerk had been right all those times about the cloud liking her so much.

It skidded to a stop before her a couple of seconds later and she let out a happy squeal, jumping face-first into the yellow fluff.

"Thank you," she murmured, feeling it lift up into the air. "I really needed someone on my side right now, even if it was someone small. I don't think that Goku's friends like me all that much, Nimbus - they _definitely_ don't trust me. I'm not so sure if even Goku will after everything is said and done..."

And here she was again. Talking to a cloud.

Wow, she was pathetic.

The priestess heaved a sigh. "Do you think you could take me up to the top of that statue?" she requested, rolling over so that she was laying on her back. "I need a good place to just think for a little while."

It started towards the statue, only to stop and give a little shiver in the air.

"Nimbus?" she called worriedly. This wasn't going to be like the time with the missile all over again, was it? Because that would _suck_.

Suddenly, it swung back towards the ground, causing her to let out a short yelp.

And then they swerved down to pick up Goku, who stared at her dumbly for a moment before asking the cloud to follow a ship that had just zoomed past.

Kagome gritted her teeth in the awkward silence. "So, I was right?"

The boy cringed. "Yeah," he admitted subduedly.

"She stole the dragon balls, didn't she?" she prodded none too gently.

He groaned. "Yeah... And she wants to blow up the park."

She gave another sigh. "Will you actually _listen_ to me next time, you little brat?"

"I'll try," he confessed. "But for right now, we really gotta catch her! Faster, Nimbus!"

Blondie jolted as they got closer and swerved around in her seat. "What-? Shoot!" she growled, pulling out a gun before shooting them a smirk. "Ciao."

Luckily, their cloud was not only fast, but brilliant. The priestess was starting to develop a very serious appreciation for Nimbus, and she couldn't help but think to herself that she needed to find out what would make a good gift for a cloud as they swerved out of the way of every blast the woman sent their way.

They followed her out into the city, chasing her down determinedly.

"You're in big trouble!" Goku shouted as they finally drew up side-by-side with the ship.

"Who, me?" the woman scoffed. "Your friends are the ones in trouble! They're going to blow up in ten seconds!"

The boy gaped. "But why?" he demanded.

She just laughed. "That's the way the ball bounces!"

Okay. That was _it_.

"Nimbus, get us closer!" Kagome snarled, crouching on the cloud as her eyes narrowed. "I'm just about sick of this bitch!"

"What was that, little girl?!" the blonde roared back irritably.

"I _said_!" she screamed, leaping onto the vehicle and punching the woman square in the nose, "That I am _sick_ of you!"

"Oh, you twisted-! You'll pay for that!" the other woman shrieked, scratching her face.

"I'd love to see you _try_ , you Barbie wannabe!" she barked back, giving the blonde's hair a good yank and tearing a clump right out.

Blondie screamed in horror.

"Hey, look out!" Goku yelped, interrupting the devolving catfight.

They both looked up at once, eyes going wide simultaneously as they took in the wall that they were about to crash into. Both very quickly jumped ship.

The boy (and Nimbus) swooped to catch Kagome before she could plummet, and Goku threw his Power Pole to hook onto the other woman's belt and pin her to the wall instead of leaving her to fall. A little black box dropped from her belt, and they immediately dove to grab it.

Somehow, someway, the boy managed to deactivate the bomb. She had no idea how, since it just looked to her like he was biting the thing, but there was no 'boom'.

Finally, they lifted back up to face Blondie. Who was clinging to the dragon balls.

"I think you'd better hand those over," Goku demanded.

"Forget it, kid!" she growled. "Buzz off!"

"Well," he drew out with a grin, "okay! If that's the way you want it..."

He reached out and started tickling the woman, catching the priestess completely off guard. It somehow worked, though, and she reached out and grabbed the balls quickly as soon as they started to fall.

"Whew!" Goku sighed as they flew back off to check on everyone at the amusement park before heading home. "That was scary."

Kagome just sighed, not really looking forward to seeing the others again.

"Okay, Nimbus," the boy prompted as they circled the hole in the dome for the third time. "We can go in now."

The cloud paused for a moment before shuddering and taking off in another direction.

"Hey!" he yelped. "Nimbus! Where are we going!"

"Oh, great," Kagome groaned tiredly. "I was right about it having a mind of its own..."

It kept them up in the air for another ten minutes, the silence awkward and ever-growing. Finally, Goku let out a sigh. "I'm sorry!" he blurted out. "I should have told Oolong not to talk to you like that. I know I can trust you, and it doesn't matter where you come from. You're my friend and that's what's important."

She blinked at him, surprised by the outburst. "He was right," she protested slowly. "I really haven't told you anything about myself. For all you know, I could be an enemy."

He shook his head determinedly. "Nope," he rejected. "You're not."

The priestess was quiet for a moment, warring with herself. "I'm useless," she pointed out. "I just get in your way. You told Bulma that she couldn't come with us because she would get in the way, but I'm the same... and at least you know you can trust her."

The boy frowned at her. "You're not in the way!" he argued. "You help out a lot, and I _can_ trust you. I know I can! Even Nimbus likes you, so that means you're pure of heart."

She shook her head, avoiding his gaze. "No," she murmured. "I'm really not."

His frown deepened. "You can't fool me," he huffed. "I know you're a good person."

She pulled her haori tight around her. "I've killed before," she deadpanned.

He went still for a long moment. "... So what?" he demanded eventually.

The priestess finally glanced over at him. "You don't even know me!" she argued.

"Sure I do," he grinned. "You're Kagome!"

She groaned and buried her face in her hands. "You don't _understand_!" she insisted. "I might be the reason someone comes after you in the future!"

"And?" he huffed. "I can take care of myself."

"I come from a different world!" she finally growled. "A different _dimension_ , Goku!"

He gaped at her. "Cool!"

"Gah!" she roared frustratedly. This was getting absolutely nowhere.

"Hey," he called out, tugging on her sleeve.

She sighed and looked down at him. "What?" she snapped.

He pulled her down and kissed her.

 _Kissed_. Her!

"There!" he beamed when he pulled away. "You said that was a way to tell someone that you really like them, right? Well, I really like you! So will you stay with me?"

She gawked down at him, face aflame and having no idea what to say.

Finally, she gritted her teeth and punched him upside the head. "Wrong kind of like, you brat!" she shrieked.

"Owwwwwwwwww!"

xxxx

Goku still didn't get what he'd done wrong. Kagome had told him that kissing on the lips was only reserved for the people that you had the really big 'like' for, but things like on the cheek or the back of the hands was okay otherwise - so he'd tried again by kissing her on the cheek, like she'd just said, and she got mad at him all over again! Now she kept grumbling to herself about someone giving him 'The Talk', whatever that was supposed to mean. He thought that it might have had something to do with how his grandpa had explained mates to him, but he wasn't going to ask when she was acting this scary.

Still. She was going to stay with him, and that had been what he'd been after. Maybe she would eventually feel comfortable telling him more about her past, but for now he was happy just knowing that she was Kagome and that she was still going to be around. He didn't know if that meant he liked her in that _big_ way, but he did know that he liked her a whole lot and that he would be really sad if she went away.

After they'd finished talking and everything was okay with them again, Nimbus finally landed. Goku actually got the feeling that that might have been the point all along, but again: Kagome was being scary right now, so he wasn't going to draw any unnecessary attention to himself before she'd calmed down some more. She might have said that they were back to normal, but she was still grumbling to herself about 'dense males' and 'idiots' and why she always ended up with them around her and stuff.

Bulma was being pretty scary, too, and demanded to go with them the moment she saw them. The boy wasn't sure if he could handle even _one_ of the girls like this, much less _both_ of them, but - dumb as he might seem sometimes - he _was_ smart enough to realize when he wasn't really being given much of a choice.

Heaving a sigh, he nodded and let the blue-haired girl catch another ride in his shirt.

... This was going to take some getting used to.

xxxx

A/N: End part one! Next we'll be heading into the General Blue saga. Goku and Kagome will just keep getting closer from here, but again - slow burn. They're both kind of dense when they want to be, and the age gap is sure to put a bit of a damper on anything overtly romantic for a while. At least on Kagome's end, of course. Who really knows with the extremely instinct-driven Goku? As always, thanks for reading!

Edit: 7/01/16


	8. Chapter 8

It had already been three days, and Kagome was still stuck trying to figure out what had really happened. The more she tried to work through it, the more irritable she got - and the more irritable she got, the more she tried working through it.

Fact: monogamous demons tended to choose their mates at a young age.

Fact: monkey demons were very firm believers in harems, and hence not monogamous in the slightest.

Fact: Goku was neither of these things. Which brought her right back to square one.

On the bright side, it had been nearly three weeks since the wish. She still wasn't back up to par yet (in no small part thanks to using too much too soon and then getting sick up in the North) but she _had_ finally appropriated enough reiki to at least be able to start healing people again if things went sideways. Barriers would still be a little tricky, and fighting would be a whole lot easier once she could start channeling ki back through her muscular system, but she was starting to feel better now that she wouldn't be _completely_ useless.

It was surprising, but she almost could have sworn that she replenished faster in this world than she had back home even in the West - the very land that she was literally tied to by a series of blood oaths.

A part of her wondered if it had anything to do with being around Goku; he was so _bright_ that she actually felt purer in his presence.

'You'll ruin him, you stupid-'

No, she _wouldn't_. She didn't think that anyone could ruin Goku, and he wanted her there.

Her hands stilled in setting up the fire-pit and she smiled a bit to herself. That was the real point, wasn't it? He wanted her there. He saw her for who she was, even without knowing anything about where she came from, and he wanted her there.

Getting her first kiss snatched up by a clueless twelve-year-old came secondary.

... For the most part.

"Hey, Kagome!" the boy laughed as he presented her with the small mountain of a fish that he had caught, efficiently breaking her free of her thoughts. "Look, look! Dinner's going to be great!"

She chuckled at him. "I can see that. Do you know where Bulma ran off to?"

The girl had been throwing a major fit since Kagome had told her that she needed to stop depending on her 'dino-caps' so much. She did understand wanting to stick to what you were familiar with, but it was better to be able to take care of yourself with the bare minimum in case you ended up losing those comforts.

The boy shrugged, lifting his nose into the air and sniffing around for a moment. "That way," he finally declared, pointing off into the trees.

The priestess nodded in thanks. "If she's still not back in a few minutes, I'll go check on her. Do you want to help me cook?"

He grinned and nodded eagerly.

Bulma wasn't happy.

She knew that Kagome was Goku's new partner, and that they'd had three weeks to settle into that dynamic - but _she_ had been his partner for way longer before that, and now she felt like the odd one out! She'd left West City to get away from her stressors, not add to them. It was true that the other girl was nice, and smart, and almost as pretty as Bulma herself - but it was just almost starting to feel like a _competition_ , and Bulma didn't like that.

She understood why Kagome had suggested learning how to get along without her dino-caps. She understood why Goku liked the other girl's cooking better than hers, because even she had to admit that Kagome was _good_ at making something tasty from practically nothing out in the middle of nowhere.

She just didn't understand why the _other girl_ was now the one in charge, when _she_ was the one with seniority here!

"Bulma?" a soft voice dragged her from her thoughts.

She glanced up, her eyes widening as she met Kagome's sapphire gaze.

The other girl smiled at her gently, sitting down next to her on the fallen log that she'd found. "I find that it's better to talk it out, rather than letting it eat at you."

She hesitated a moment, but finally sighed. "How come _you're_ the boss?"

Kagome blinked at her. "I'm not," she stated simply.

"But Goku listens to you!" the blue-haired girl argued. "If you say something, he listens to you - even that stupid _cloud_ listens to you!"

The other girl sighed. "Did you ever think that maybe it's because I _ask_ instead of _tell_?"

Bulma's spine stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just... think about it," the raven requested. "Maybe things would go better if you didn't make everything an _order_. Goku's a free spirit, hm? Though, not even I know why it is that Nimbus listens to me. According to Goku, it just likes me for some reason."

The brilliant mechanic frowned.

Kagome bumped their shoulders and stood. "Take it from someone who's got a couple of years on you: the old saying is true. Honey really does catch more flies than vinegar."

Bulma blinked uncertainly, but also got to her feet. "How old are you?" she huffed.

"Twenty," the other girl admitted easily as they turned and started back for the campsite. "Old enough to drink, at any rate."

The blue-haired girl stared at her, stunned. "I thought you were my age," she confessed.

"Yeah," the raven murmured, wincing for some reason. "So I've been told."

"What?" Bulma prodded warily.

Kagome just sighed, moving to sit next to Goku where he was watching them curiously from beside the fire. She was quiet for a long moment. "I'll tell you both all about it someday," she decided quietly. "Just not today, alright? Come on, I think the fish is done."

The genius mechanic watched her discreetly for a long time after that, trying to figure out what she meant by that... and why she got the feeling that the story _wouldn't_ be a happy one.

xxxx

They flew for a long time, all three of them feeling exhausted.

"How far away are we?" Goku questioned.

Bulma checked the radar. "At this rate, approximately... forever!"

"Can't we go a little faster?" Kagome complained tiredly.

Taking that as a request, Nimbus sped into action and took off like a shot, surprising the trio. The full-sized girl gave a slight yelp and clung to the boy, the smaller one screaming loudly as they barreled through the air.

Goku just laughed, enjoying himself.

They slowed down a bit once they got closer.

"Wow," the boy gaped. "Everything's getting all steamy!"

"We're almost there, kid," Bulma announced with a relieved sigh.

Goku gave a bright chuckle, happy to hear it. It did occur to him that he wasn't so upset when Bulma called him a kid as when Kagome did, but he didn't really get why.

"Oh, hey! It's right here!" the blue-haired girl announced as they hovered to a stop.

The boy looked around. "But _nothing's_ here!"

"It's probably on the bottom," Kagome spoke up.

"We need a home base..." Bulma murmured, looking around. "Oh hey, how about that island over there!"

"Looks inhabited," the black-haired girl pointed out uncertainly.

"Thank God!" the other heaved a sigh. "Come on, let's get moving!"

"Well, okay," Goku blinked, directing Nimbus over towards the landmass.

They landed on the beach quickly, all three hopping off of the cloud and onto the beach. Kagome looked kind of nervous for some reason, but Bulma finally seemed to relax a bit.

"Alright, you two go ahead and wait here," the boy announced. "I'll go get the ball."

"Oh, I don't think so!" the blue-haired girl huffed. "You think you can just leave us behind and go have all the adventure yourself? No way. I'm sure I've got a dino-cap for this."

The other girl's eye twitched as she pulled out her case. "What did I say about those?"

"Shut up, you. There's never going to be any reason for me to have to worry about that sort of thing happening!" Bulma snorted, flipping it open - only to reveal a single container, all by its lonesome. "Oh, no," she groaned. "This can't be happening! This is my _dad's_!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Hey, look," she deadpanned. "A reason to worry."

"No, no, no!" the blue-haired girl wailed. "I can't believe this!"

"Hey, who knows?" Goku tried to reassure her. "Maybe it'll be something useful!"

She glared at him. "Yeah, I _doubt_ it!"

"You could just _try_ it," he shrugged. "It might even be one of those submarine things!"

Bulma hesitated a moment before glancing down at the capsule. "Well... I guess I could at least try..." she finally agreed, pressing the button and throwing it into the air.

A bunch of books rained down, a lot like the ones that Krillin had brought Master Roshi. One of them landed right on the boys face even as the girls both rushed to pick them all up, their expressions shifting with anger.

"Poor girl," Goku frowned as he pulled it away. "She must be really poor - she can't even afford clothes!"

Bulma snatched it out of his hands quickly, ripping up the whole stack and screaming about how disgusting men were. The boy didn't really get it, but Kagome _had_ told him before that seeing someone naked was supposed to be something personal...

The black-haired girl patted his hair in almost stern approval. "You just keep up that outlook, Goku," she sighed. "Don't let anyone ever take that away from you."

He tilted his head to one side uncomprehendingly.

"My own _dad_!" Bulma growled darkly, stomping on the scraps of paper. "Ughhh!"

"Well, anyway," the boy spoke up, walking up towards where Nimbus was still waiting for him and starting to undress. "I guess I'll go get the dragon ball now."

Kagome gave him an approving nod as she folded his clothes, and he took off.

xxxx

They stood in silence for a long moment, staring at each other.

"How can you be so calm?!" Bulma finally burst out.

The priestess shrugged nonchalantly. "I've learned that the best way to deal with perverts is to ignore them."

There was another stretch of silence, right before the girl nodded in understanding. "Hey, weren't there people on this island?" she asked after a couple of seconds. "If there are people, I bet there's shopping!"

Kagome chuckled. "You wanna go check it out?"

"Well, duh!" the teen laughed excitedly, grabbing her hand and dragging her off into the underbrush. "Maybe if there's a resort, they'll even sell dino-caps. I doubt Goku realized just how deep that water really is."

"True," the priestess agreed with a sigh. If only she could hold up a barrier at the moment, that wouldn't be a problem - they could just sink to the bottom and be done with it.

"Oh, hey!" Bulma gasped, crouching down to study a clump of flowers. "How pretty!"

Uh-oh. "Um, I wouldn't-"

The girl screamed and backpedaled as a lizard popped out.

"-do that," Kagome finished with another sigh.

"That was so creepy!" the blue-haired teen sobbed as they continued walking.

The priestess couldn't help but laugh. She'd had that same city-girl mentality, once upon a time, so she really did understand... Of course, she was also now coming to understand how her comrades had felt trying to accommodate her. "You'll eventually get used to it."

The girl just shuddered. "I sincerely hope not." After a few more minutes of making their way further inland, she groaned. "Maybe this island really is uninhabited..."

"No, it's not," Kagome stated with absolute certainty. She could sense other people.

She wasn't entirely _happy_ with the auras that she sensed, but she could sense them.

The teen groaned. "But how can you be-?"

Bulma was cut off abruptly by machine gun fire, and both girls let out sharp yelps as they turned around and ran.

"What in the world?!" the blue-haired girl wailed.

"Less talking, more running!" Kagome barked back, throwing on an extra burst of speed of her own.

Somehow, they managed to not get riddled with holes - and then the planes landed. Her young companion was completely freaked out, on her knees and crying with terror, but the miko stood tall, her eyes cataloging everything she could pick up from the two pilots that were walking towards them.

Yeah, she decided that she _really_ wasn't happy with the auras on this island.

"Well," one of the men grinned as they leaned over the pair. "What do we have here?"

"Just a couple of frightened girls!" the other answered with a laugh. "Sorry about that, we thought you were someone else."

Bulma glared up at them, finding her nerve. "What? This was all a mistake?!"

The priestess caught her shoulder, trying to signal for her to calm down. It didn't work.

"JERKS!" the teen screamed, getting up in their faces. "What's the big idea?! We could have been killed!"

"Hey, relax babe!" the first pilot laughed.

"You shot at us!" she glowered.

"Come on, cut us a little slack, girls," the second joined in. "We're followin' orders."

"That's right," his partner agreed. "We're soldiers - military studs!"

Bulma seemed to relax a bit. "I see... Well, hey! My name's Bulma, and this is Kagome. We're looking for a place to shop. Maybe find ourselves a submarine on a discount?"

The priestess slapped her forehead. Really? _Really_?

"A submarine?" the first pilot questioned uncertainly.

"We like to sightsee!" the teen insisted. "You know? Look at all the reefs?"

The first snorted. "You can't even _buy_ capsules here, babe. This island's deserted."

Bulma frowned. "No way! Well, darn. How strange... I wonder whose boat that was."

The pair grinned at each other suggestively.

"Okay, thanks, we'll just be going now," Kagome stated quickly, grabbing the teen's arm and preparing to pull her away.

"Hold on," the first stopped them. "You're under arrest... for being too pretty!"

"No joke," the second laughed. "What a crime!"

Bulma blushed happily. "Gosh! You think we're pretty, huh?"

The two nodded and started crowding the pair.

"Yeah," Kagome growled sarcastically, pushing the other girl behind her. " _No_ way in hell. Back off!"

"Oh, come on," the first insisted. "Let's have some fun!"

The priestess elbowed one in the gut and kicked the other in the face, sending them both tumbling over the edge of the cliff they were standing on, and grabbed her companion's wrist to start tugging her away. _Now_.

"Run!" she barked impatiently.

"G-Goku!" Bulma screamed as they bolted. "Goku, save us!"

"LESS TALKING, MORE RUNNING!" she roared, feeling like she had just said that same thing not five minutes ago. Oh, wait - because she had!

"GOKUUU!" the teen wailed even louder.

Okay, that was it. Bulma was going to get some crash-course training when they could slow down for a bit, whether she wanted it or not. She was even worse than the priestess had been five years ago, and that was saying something!

Goku did actually manage to save them, and Kagome made a mental note to track down a weapon. Next time she meditated, she was going to look around to see if that dream had even a teeny bit of overlap with reality and look for her stupid bag. If she had her sword, at the very least, she could add a bit of extra force to their little party.

"So, uh, I guess you didn't find any dino-caps, huh?" the boy asked as they watched the downed planes smoke.

"No, Goku, we didn't find any dino-caps," the teen agreed weakly. "Great observation."

"Hey, guess what!" he grinned. "I just had an idea. We can go to Master Roshi's! He lives around here, doesn't he?"

Bulma gave a disgusted cringe.

"He has all kinds of neat stuff," the boy continued, oblivious. "I bet he even has one of those suba-thingies!"

"Ick!" the girl shuddered. "That old coot? I'm _not_ going there!"

"Sure you are," Goku laughed. "You have to, right? Hey... I'm sure he'll be really happy to see us. Come on, Bulma! I'll let you ride in my shirt!"

Kagome sighed. "Okay, first: who is this Roshi guy?"

The teen made a face. "An old pervert!" she declared.

"My teacher!" Goku announced in the same instant, their words overlapping.

The miko's eye twitched slightly. "I... see. Second: will he really be able to help us?"

"Definitely," the boy nodded.

Bulma was a bit more hesitant to answer that one. "I... guess," she murmured. " _Maybe_."

She sighed. "Alright. Lastly, third: Goku, what makes you think that offering to let her ride in your shirt makes a good bribe?"

The boy blinked at her. "You mean it's not?"

Kagome couldn't help but snort. "You've got a lot to learn, kiddo."

"Hey, I'm not a kid!" he protested.

Goku was excited to see his master, Launch, and Krillin again. They sped through the air until Kame House came into sight, landing right in front of Turtle. He and Kagome both hopped off, Nimbus flying away now that it was no longer needed.

"Oh, Goku!" the old tortoise greeted. "This is certainly a surprise. Welcome back, it's good to see you again. And who is this?"

"It's good to see you, too, Turtle!" he grinned. "I sure have missed everybody; it's been way too long. This is my new friend, Kagome - she's helping me find my grandpa's dragon ball! Kagome, this is Turtle."

"Nice to meet you," she smiled.

The tortoise stared at her for a moment before turning back to the boy. "Please tell me that Roshi didn't send you out to find another girl..."

"What?" he blinked.

" _Nuh-uh_ ," the girl snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Goku found me out in the desert and saved me. I've been doing my best to help him out in return since, and I plan to keep doing so."

Turtle slumped with a relieved sigh. "Oh, thank goodness. So are you here on business or pleasure?"

"We need Master Roshi's help," he admitted.

"Oh, hang on," the tortoise offered. "I'll get him. Hey, Master! Master! Goku's here!" He waited a moment before trying again. "MASTER!"

"Go away, I'm busty - I mean, busy!" an older voice shouted back.

Kagome's eye twitched. "So Bulma _wasn't_ exaggerating," she grumbled quietly.

The boy glanced up at her. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Turtle turned to them and sighed. "Sorry about him," he murmured before giving it one more shot. "Goku's here to see you!"

The screen door finally creaked open, Master Roshi poking his head out. "Goku's here?"

The boy laughed excitedly and ran up to greet the guy, though Kagome stayed out of his direct line of sight. Goku didn't really understand why, but Turtle gave her an approving nod and stayed off to the side with her.

"Oh, what brings you out here, boy?" the master questioned. "I thought you were out there looking for your dragon ball."

"I still am!" he grinned. "And it's been loads of fun."

"So, what can I help you with?" the old man questioned.

"We need help... breathing," he admitted. "I'd better let Bulma tell you..."

"Bulma?" Roshi immediately perked up as she climbed out of the boy's shirt.

She pushed the button on her thing, becoming full-sized once more. "Hello, Roshi," she stated flatly.

"Well, I'll be a - how in the world did you do that?" the old man gaped.

"She made a device that allows her to change her size," Kagome spoke up, finally taking a step closer and drawing up on Goku's other side.

The master's jaw dropped and he stared at the black-haired girl for a long moment.

For some reason, the boy didn't really like the way he was looking at her.

"W-w-well, hi there!" the old man finally gushed. "I'm Roshi, the turtle hermit!"

"Kagome," she deadpanned. "Not interested. So, will you help us?"

"Help?" he repeated, dazed.

"We were wondering if you might have a submarine laying around here that we could maybe borrow," Bulma chimed in.

Kagome shot her a thankful look.

The master straightened back out, seeming to regain composure. "Why, certainly. What interest do you have in a submarine?"

"We found another dragon ball at the bottom of the ocean," Goku sighed. "But it's way too deep to swim to; I tried."

"Is that right?" the man hummed. "Alright, I'll lend it to you."

"Thank you!" the boy smiled, feeling reassured. They would have his grandpa's ball in no time now!

Bulma and Kagome looked kind of worried, though.

"However," Roshi added, causing them both to groan, "I'll need that device in exchange."

The blue-haired girl reeled back. "My micro-band?!" she yelped.

"Mhm," the hermit nodded.

"And that's it?" she checked suspiciously. "Nothing else?"

"Mhm," he nodded again.

She let out a heavy, thankful exhale. "That's a relief! I thought you'd gotten the wrong impression during that incident on Ox King's mountain. That really wasn't me - I'm not the sort of girl you're looking for. Not that you're looking, of course, at me!"

"Bulma," Kagome sighed, "you might want to stop talking about now."

The blue-haired girl whimpered a bit and buried her face in her hands. "Thanks. Okay, here," she continued, shaking it off and taking the device off her wrist to hand it over. "I'll miss it, but I know it's for a good cause. Here."

Roshi grinned and took it, clasping it on his own wrist. "Oh, yes - thank you, thank you!"

"Fine, now hand over the capsule for the submarine," she requested, holding a hand out expectantly.

"Patience my dear girl, patience," he chided, staring down at his new accessory. "Launch and Krillin took it into town this morning to do some shopping. They should be back any minute now - no biggie!"

Goku wasn't really sure why he was so glad that the master wasn't drooling at Kagome anymore, but he got the feeling that it wasn't the kind of thing he could ask her about.

xxxx

They had waited for a long time already, with no sign of the promised submarine.

"Where are they?" Bulma finally complained.

"They'll be back soon, don't worry!" the old man assured. He turned down to the tortoise. "Turtle, what's taking them so long?"

"I've got a bad feeling," the sea creature admitted anxiously.

The turtle and Goku started playing around after a while, gathering seafood.

"Okay," Kagome sighed as she stood up, stretching her arms over her head. "Bulma, get over here. Looks like we're going to have a bit of time after all."

She blinked at the priestess. "Huh?"

"Well?" the raven-haired girl prompted. "Come on."

The blue-haired teen slowly did so. "Why?"

"Because," Kagome announced as she cracked her neck, "you need to learn a couple of things in case we get into a situation like earlier again."

Bulma stared at her nervously. "Huh?"

The priestess heaved a sigh. "Alright, look, just try not to get hit. We'll go from there."

"W-what?!" she squeaked.

Before she could say anything else, Kagome charged at her with a punch. Despite her speed still suffering from her current state of recovery, the girl screamed and tensed, her eyes squeezing shut as she ducked and wrapped her arms over her head.

The priestess stopped her fist an inch away from the teen's face, stared down at her, and gave another sigh. "We've got a lot of work to do..."

"What the heck, Kagome?!" Bulma shrieked loudly as she shot back up.

"You're the one that wanted to jump into danger," she huffed. "If you're going to do that, you might as well at least be able to dodge! Try again, and this time _don't_ close your eyes!"

The girl wailed and tried running away, but the priestess was faster.

xxxx

Goku glanced around uncertainly. "Where did Kagome and Bulma go?" he wondered.

Roshi stood off to the side, his nose running and a dazed look on his face.

"Master?" he asked a little louder. "Where did Kagome and Bulma go?"

A loud yelp drew his attention to the other side of the house and he raced around to go see what was going on - only to draw up short.

"Higher," Kagome instructed, lifting the other girl's outstretched arm a bit. "Again."

"Why am I even doing this?!" Bulma sobbed, attempting another punch.

"Because Goku isn't always going to be around to run to the rescue," the black-haired girl huffed. "It was better that time, but you're still aiming too low. Again."

"If you're trained, why don't you just protect me?!" the blue-haired teen wailed.

Kagome was quiet for a long moment, finally pushing down on the other girl's shoulders so that she stumbled out of her clumsy fighting stance. "Because it's still going to be at least another week before I can really use my ki again, and I can't guarantee that I'm not going to be a target at some point myself," she admitted bluntly.

"What does that mean?" the boy questioned worriedly, coming up to join them.

The older girl just glanced over at him and sighed, shoving her hair back out of her face. "I... don't know if I'm willing to go into details yet," she murmured.

"Oh, come _on_ ," Bulma groaned. "This again? We're together day and night! Just say it!"

Kagome's face went weirdly blank and she avoided their eyes. "Later," she finally sighed. "Not right now, and definitely not with Master Pervert and Turtle listening in."

"Urk!" the old man and tortoise both yelped, proving that she had been right.

Goku approached her slowly, reaching up and grabbing her hand to get her attention. Once she was looking down at him, he grinned at her reassuringly. "It's okay," he promised. "I've said this before, but you don't have to tell us anything you don't want to."

She stared down at him for a long moment before smiling a bit. "Thanks, kiddo."

He scowled, unable to help it. "I'm not a kid!" he insisted.

"Yeah, you are," she retorted. "For now, at least."

The boy made a face, but didn't argue with her anymore. Instead, he pulled her back out to the front of the house so that they could sit in the shade beneath the tree and watch for Launch and Krillin to get back.

Neither of them noticed that he kept hold of her hand even as they waited, but everyone else did.

xxxx

A/N: So, onward into the General Blue saga! From here on, Kagome's finally going to be getting a lot of her energy back. Well, with a few... twists, obviously. Oh, and for everyone who's read, reviewed, favorited and followed this story, I love you all! Let's see this monster through, shall we?

Edit: 7/02/16


	9. Chapter 9

Bulma was feeling particularly suspicious. She had seen some interesting interactions between Goku and Kagome over the last few days of traveling with them, but _this_ \- this was just a little bit... _different_. It was completely innocent, and neither one of them showed any signs of taking the contact as anything serious - but they were still touching, and it wasn't the first time. Maybe it was a brother-sister type thing, or something?

Her inner girly-girl was too busy cooing over how cute they were to actually think any further on the 'why'.

"Hey, everybody," Goku finally called out, pointing skywards. "Look up there!"

They all glanced up to see the ship coming back.

"Took 'em long enough," Turtle announced. "I could have been faster than that!"

It landed heavily. "They better have a lot of groceries!" Bulma complained.

The roof slid back and the little bald boy from the tournament and a woman with dark blue hair climbed out.

"Hi, guys!" Goku shouted happily, running up to greet them.

"Hi!" the woman chirruped back.

"Goku!" the other boy - Krillin? - called excitedly.

Goku laughed, the sound bright and relaxed. "I'm so happy to see you guys!"

"What a machine!" Bulma grinned. "This sub is fantastic!"

The pair walked down the ramp, arms laden with groceries. The bald little boy gave her a polite bow. "Well, hello again! It's always nice to see you again, Bloomer!"

She snarled. "It's Bulma! _Bulma_!" she corrected.

"Oh, and who's this?" the woman questioned, eyes drifting back behind them.

The raven-haired girl walked up beside Goku and shot them a smile. "I'm Kagome. Nice to meet you both."

"Wow," the bald boy gaped. "You're really pretty, miss."

Kagome blinked down at him twice, surprised. The boy, seeming to realize what he had just said, turned bright red and started trying to stutter out an apology - but the older girl just laughed. "Well, thank you. Krillin, right?"

He blushed even darker and nodded. "N-nice to meet you..." he mumbled shyly.

"We've been waiting for you," Roshi scolded lightly. "Why are you so late?"

"Uh... well... Launch had one of her episodes while we were at the market today," the boy admitted.

"Thought so," Turtle sighed.

The woman just giggled. "Yeah, I sneezed again."

Goku gaped for a second before laughing. "Sounds like you two had a big day!"

Kagome bumped the kid's shoulder with her hip. "Care to share?" she requested.

He blinked up at her. "Oh, Launch turns into a different person when she sneezes," he shrugged.

The black-haired girl just nodded, accepting that without another question. Bulma felt like a little more information was necessary, herself, but she was starting to get used to not getting straight answers thanks to the older girl's tight lips.

Krillin turned to the other boy with a wide grin of his own. "Hey Goku, why are you here anyway?" he asked.

Goku laughed again and jumped right into the explanation.

xxxx

"Uh-huh," Krillin nodded some time later as they all (except Master Roshi and Launch) sat around a table inside, studying the chart that had been unrolled out onto it. "Judging by this map, you're definitely gonna need a submarine."

Goku grinned, relieved. "That's great! We'll have it in no time!"

"And I think - yes, if it really is around here you should be able to find the pirates' treasure easily!" the other boy added excitedly.

Goku turned and blinked at him. "Pirates?"

"Treasure?" Bulma repeated, her eyes shining. "Did you say _treasure_?!"

"Sounds like a sham," Kagome sighed.

The old hermit walked in, interrupting them. "Say, Bulma, would you like a nice glass of iced tea?" he was quick to ask.

The girl glowered at him. "I'm not thirsty, thanks."

"A-and you, Kagome?" he offered eagerly.

"No, thank you," the older girl rejected simply, not even looking up at him.

"Anyway!" Bulma dismissed, turning back to Krillin. "So, go on, give us the scoop on this treasure!"

The bald boy glanced over his shoulder. "Master Roshi knows more than I do..."

"What's that?" the old man questioned.

"You know," the older disciple insisted. "The story that you always tell me - the legend of the missing pirates' treasure!"

"Hm?" the master thought for a second as he walked over to join them at the table. "Oh, yeah! The pirates' treasure. Long ago, these waters were infested with pirates who pillaged and plundered everything in sight; not the sort you'd invite over for fruit punch, I'll tell you that! Pirate ships were heavily populated and armed. Many royal vessels carrying precious jewels and riches fell prey to their attacks. Legend has it, much of the stolen bounty ended up on the ocean floor-and is still there today! Yessir, whoever finds that treasure is going to be rich as a king."

Bulma gave a dreamy sigh. "How romantic. We have to find this treasure, I mean we just _have_ to!"

"Yeah, sounds awesome doesn't it?" Krillin agreed. "I'd love to go with you and help."

"Really?" Goku grinned excitedly. "We could sure use another person!"

"Can I go Master, please?" he requested. "I know this map like the back of my hand!"

The old man nodded. "I suppose. But finish your chores first!"

"Yes, sir!" he cheered.

Kagome shot them all a collective look. "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," she warned. "Just keep that in mind, okay?"

Bulma stuck her tongue out at the other girl. "Oh come on, don't be a killjoy!"

The blue-haired girl and Krillin both got up and started to leave, but Goku turned his full attention up to Kagome. "Do you think something bad could be down there waiting for us?" he questioned worriedly.

She shrugged, looking away with a sigh. "I don't know," she murmured. "Maybe I'm just paranoid, but... From my experience, there's no such thing as something for nothing. _Everything_ has a price, and it's the things that seem free at first that end up costing the most when all is said and done."

He gave a quiet sigh of his own. "Don't worry," he assured her with a grin. "Nothing bad's going to happen! I promise."

The girl stared at him for a long, weighing moment before her face softened into a smile and she stood up, offering him a hand to help pull him to his own feet. "Well, I guess I'll just trust you on this one."

The boy laughed brightly and let her yank him upright.

xxxx

Kagome sighed as they lifted into the air, thinking to herself that maybe she should have stayed behind after all. In all the initial hype, everyone seemed to have forgotten something kind of important...

The 'submarine'? Yeah, it only had three seats.

"There's something I don't understand," Goku spoke up, apparently not having any real problem sharing a chair with her. Honestly, it was actually more room than flying on Nimbus. "If we want to go under the water, then how come we're in an airplane?"

"I was actually just wondering the same thing," the priestess chimed in.

"This baby does both," Bulma explained excitedly. "It's a submarine _and_ an airplane!"

Goku's jaw dropped and he glanced out the window. "Wow... an air-fish!"

She couldn't help but laugh, letting herself also get lost in the scenery. "Oh-ho, no. You have never seen an air-fish," she teased, "until you've been to the Western coast right before sunrise and watched the Lords from the mainland-" she cut herself off abruptly, slapping a hand over her mouth with a wince as the plane lurched.

Dammit. She was giving out way too much information lately.

" _Lords_?" Bulma gaped at her.

Kagome cringed. "It's nothing," she mumbled. "Forget I said anything."

The girl stared at her suspiciously for a long moment. "Kagome, are you like... a _noble_?" she finally demanded, her expression thunderstruck. "Is _that_ why you never want to tell us anything about yourself?"

The miko bit her lip. "Hey, where's your rucksack?" she tried to dodge. "I thought that the dragon balls were in there."

The teen glared at her. "Don't think that's going to - oh, God! I totally left it at Roshi's!"

"Don't worry," Krillin assured a little awkwardly. "Nothing's going to happen to it there."

Bulma hesitated a moment before nodding. "I guess you're right... Now Kagome, I mean it! Are you like a princess or something?"

She buried her face in her hands with an exhausted groan.

xxxx

Goku was just a little bit upset with his friends. If Krillin hadn't lurched their air-fish, and Bulma hadn't started bugging her, he got the feeling that Kagome was actually about to start talking about her past a little more. He may say that she didn't have to tell them anything, and he really did mean that - but that didn't mean that he wasn't still curious. He just wanted her to be able to tell him about herself when she was comfortable with it. Like with her age! She had told him how old she was when she was ready.

Part of him was pretty sure that she would've been more ready if it was still just the two of them, but... Well, he wasn't going to push her into talking. She'd gotten more than enough pressure lately from others.

"According to the radar, we need to head South," Bulma announced after a while. "Mm, about... thirty miles."

"You got it!" Krillin grinned, speeding them up just a bit.

The younger boy glanced up, studying Kagome's face from the corner of his eye. If she really was a princess, like Bulma thought, that would be pretty cool - but he doubted it. According to his grandpa, princesses were pretty, graceful girls who had really sheltered lives. Sure she was pretty and (usually) graceful, but she had obviously gone through way too much to be considered 'sheltered', and she even knew a little about fighting on top of that.

It didn't really matter, he supposed. Kagome was just Kagome.

"Okay, we should be right above it," his blue-haired friend spoke up after a few minutes. "Dive here!"

"Gotcha!" Krillin confirmed, pushing a couple of buttons.

"You mean we're really going under the water in this thing?" Goku wondered curiously.

"Yep," his fellow disciple nodded. "That's the plan!"

He pressed his forehead against the window, watching the water rise up to meet them. "Wow... neat!"

They dove, and the world turned blue.

"Whoa," Kagome murmured, so quiet that he was pretty sure he was the only one to hear her. "It's so... bright. Shouldn't it get darker the further down we go?"

"Everything looks so beautiful!" he bounced excitedly.

A funny-looking fish floated up alongside them, and Goku gasped.

"That's a pufferfish," his black-haired friend confided. "When they get scared, they puff up like that to try and scare away predators."

He gaped. "That's handy..."

Another fish came up beside them, this one even more funny-looking than the last.

"Kagome?" he asked. "Why does that big fish look so sad? What's its name?"

"I don't know," she admitted, blinking at it for a second before turning her attention down to him with a teasing grin. "Maybe it just can't find its lunch?"

He gasped, horrified. "That's terrible! Don't worry, little fish, you'll find something!"

For some reason, she started laughing. He felt like he was missing something funny, but it was good that she was in a better mood again.

"Stop here, Krillin!" Bulma instructed. "The radar shows it should be right beneath us!"

"Right," the bald boy nodded, messing around with the controls again.

They sank, and some lights came on at the bottom of their ship.

"I guess you were right," Goku sighed, looking up at Kagome. "It really does get darker the deeper we get."

She snorted wryly. "Honestly? This still isn't all that dark."

They stared out at the ocean floor for a long moment, and the boy tried to imagine what it would be like if it was even darker than this. He decided that it might be kind of fun, but that he was glad it was this bright while they were looking for the dragon ball. "Where is it?" he groaned after a few minutes of looking. "All I see down there is a bunch of pretty fish."

"It's down there somewhere," Bulma huffed. "The radar doesn't lie."

"Maybe one of them ate it?" Kagome suggested with a sigh.

"Ugh, who knows!" the other girl grumbled. "One of you go look for it."

The older girl shot her a look. "Remember what I said earlier about putting everything in the form of an order?"

Bulma made a face.

"It's okay," Goku assured, dragging out some of the funny diving equipment that Krillin had showed them earlier and pulling the mask on. He paused, glancing around and blinking. "No wonder that fish is so sad. He's hungry _and_ all he can see is blue!"

"That's nice, bye," the blue-haired girl rolled her eyes.

"Be careful out there," Kagome added as he sank down into the tube that led below.

He gave her a wide grin, right before Bulma closed the lid. "Okay!"

The boy swam for a bit, but froze and started freaking out - something was in his clothes! He hurried to pull a fish out of his shirt.

It looked really, really weird. "This one must be called a tickle-fish!" he laughed. "Neat."

"What are you doing?" he heard Bulma's voice come out of nowhere. "Stop goofing off!"

"Wow," he gaped as he continued to swim. "How did your voice get in my helmet?"

"Remember what I said about phones and speakers?" Kagome's voice joined in.

"Ohhhh," he nodded to himself. "Got it."

"Goku!" the blue-haired girl spoke again. "Goku, what's going on? Did you find it?"

He stared down at a giant crab, a slow grin overtaking his face. Darting down, he lifted it and brought it up where his friends could see. "Hey guys, look at this!" he laughed. "It's the biggest crab I've ever seen in my whole life!"

"Is that so?" Kagome teased. "I have to say, I've seen bigger."

"Whoa!" he gasped. "Really? What was the biggest one you've ever seen?"

She giggled. "Well, it may or may not have been around the size of a house..."

"Would you quit playing around and find the dragon ball?!" Bulma growled.

"I wanna hear some more about this house-crab, actually," Krillin requested, voice tinged with awe.

Kagome gave a bright, tinkling laugh. "It was on the Western coast," she described as he returned to the search, her words distant and full of cherished memories. "Brother got a report that something was attacking the villages along the beach, and he passed it off to me because he was 'busy' dealing with some 'political matters' - his little girl told me later that he'd really been off drinking with an old friend so that he could get away from the Council and his mother for a while. Anyway, it turned out that she - the crab - was really trying to get his attention, and threw a fit when he didn't show up. After I finally got her to calm down, her dad showed up and literally _tossed_ her ass back into the water before sending me home with a huge apology and _barrels_ of the best seafood in the ocean... They both ended up becoming really good friends."

Goku grinned. _This_ was what he was talking about: letting her come out and share what she was comfortable with sharing when she was comfortable sharing it, without pressuring for more or interrupting her. This was the way it needed to be for her to tell them about herself and not regret it or get mad later.

"That's so cool," his fellow disciple declared with an awed sigh.

He agreed.

"Any luck?" Bulma spoke after a few more minutes. "You should be right on top of it."

"Nothing here but sea-fish and coral," he announced.

"This is strange," the blue-haired girl murmured. "Maybe the radar _is_ acting up..."

The boy swam around a bit more, finally seeing something strange. "Look!" he called. "There's a big crack in the ground! It seems deep. Do you think maybe the dragon ball could have dropped down inside of it?"

"Wait a minute," Krillin requested curiously. "Let me guide the submarine-jet down there and investigate."

"If Goku's right, this might be more difficult than I thought," Bulma sighed as they sank down into the depths of the trench. "I need to adjust the search grid to compensate for the depth differential..."

"Uh, yeah," the bald boy agreed uncertainly. "O-okay. You mean... closer to the wall?"

"Yes," the girl grumbled, a couple of beeps suggesting that she was messing with the radar. "Closer to the wall, okay? Goku, I... I think you may wanna come see this."

He blinked down at the crag. "I'd like to, but I don't think I can fit," he admitted.

"We may need that micro-band back," Kagome sighed.

Bulma made a weird noise. "Wait a sec..."

"What's up?" Krillin questioned.

"Judging by the shape of the ditch, it looks like it leads to something!" the younger girl declared. "I'll switch radar magnification and see if I can't get a better view... There! See? It's a cave of some sort! Maybe we can get inside - it might lead to the dragon ball!"

"We can go in there?" the boy asked, interested.

"Come back to the sub so we can check it out!" she instructed.

He did as he was told and swam over to it quickly.

"Welcome back," Kagome chuckled as he climbed back inside.

He laughed and took his helmet off, shaking his head and throwing water everywhere. "I'm back!"

"Geez, kid!" Bulma shouted. "Watch it!"

The other girl just scooted closer to the window, giving him some room on the seat next to her. "Ignore her. Apparently she thought that she could go underwater without getting wet."

All of them but the blue-haired girl in question broke out laughing.

"Go straight ahead a little farther," Bulma ordered petulantly after they had gone on for a ways. "We should see the entrance just beyond this ridge... There it is! We found it, we're almost there!"

Kagome suddenly shuddered.

"What is it?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I just got a bad feeling all of a sudden. I'm sure it's-"

The wall blew up ahead of them, scaring them all.

"What was that?!" the boy yelped.

"Look, there's another submarine behind us!" Bulma wailed loudly. "They fired at us!"

"I don't think they're too friendly!" Krillin winced.

"There's only one group mean enough to do this," Goku scowled. "The army!"

"A-army?" the blue-haired girl whimpered. "You don't mean the... Red Ribbon Army?"

"That's them," Kagome confirmed gravely. "They've been going after the dragon balls as determinedly as we have."

"But they're much more dangerous and mean about it!" he added.

"Eeehhhh?!" Bulma cried.

" _Mean_?!" the other boy repeated shrilly. "I'd say trying to blast us into fish food borders on psychotic! Why didn't you tell me we were expecting company? I never would have signed up for this crazy mission!"

Kagome kicked the back of his seat. "Enough sniveling, more moving!"

The bald boy let out a sob and they darted forward.

"Faster, faster!" Bulma screamed. "Would it help if I got out and _pushed_?!"

"At this point, I'm willing to try anything!" Krillin shouted back.

The blue-haired girl turned on Goku and Kagome. "Why didn't you tell us these guys were after you?!"

"No one ever asked us about the Red Ribbon Army," he blinked.

"Why did you think I was so serious about you learning how to deal with conflict earlier?" his black-haired friend snorted. "I thought we might get asked to tea? This kind of mission is never straight-forward. There's _always_ going to be some kind of fight."

"We may be in luck!" Krillin announced excitedly. "The cave is getting narrower!"

"Faster!" Bulma shrieked, choking the bald boy. "Hurry up, just go!"

Kagome reached out and yanked her hands away from his neck. "That's _not_ helping us! Calm down! Look, they already stopped following!"

The blue-haired girl pulled away and looked behind them, letting out a cheer.

"Let's just get this done fast," the older girl sighed heavily, slumping in their seat even as the others celebrated. "Before they find another way of coming after us."

Curious, Goku glanced over his shoulder and winced. "Uh, Kagome...?"

"Yeah?" she asked, looking down to meet his gaze.

He pointed behind them. "Too late."

Bulma started screaming again.

xxxx

"Oh, my gosh, they're still after us!" the blue-haired girl babbled. "Only now they have two ships, and they _don't_ look happy!" She turned and snarled at Krillin. "Are you trying to get us killed?!"

"Trust me!" the bald boy shouted back. "I don't wanna meet them, either!"

"Did I mention that they have _torpedoes_?" Bulma sobbed.

"What are torpedoes?" Goku questioned.

"Torpedoes are the things they've been shooting at us," Kagome explained, cutting the other girl off before she could turn her temper on the boy. "The things that have been blowing up the walls."

"Oh, okay," he blinked, turning his attention back to their tail. "So _that's_ a torpedo."

"It must be nice to live in complete oblivion," Bulma sniffled. "Which is about what we're gonna be!"

"I'm trying!" Krillin defended.

The priestess rolled her eyes and joined her little friend in watching their pursuers. "Complete oblivion? Apparently Bulma hasn't been paying much attention to you," she murmured so that only he could hear.

He blinked twice before glancing up at her with a bright grin.

She shot him a wink.

"Come on, Krillin, step on it!" the blue-haired girl growled. "They're gaining on us!"

"I hate back-seat drivers," the bald boy grumbled.

One of the enemy subs sped up and rammed them from behind, tossing them all around in their seats. Kagome gave a yelp and clung to the back of their chair, letting out a louder one when they scraped the roof of the cave. Somehow, they got away and made it into an air pocket further in while their pursuers banged into each other, getting temporarily stuck.

"Wow," Goku gaped as the roof slid up and they all climbed out onto the rocky shore. "What happened to all the water?"

"We're still in the ocean," Kagome explained tiredly. "But there's air in the cave."

"Lucky for us," the boy sighed.

"I wouldn't call it luck," Bulma argued. "Those maniacs are still after us! Come on, let's get out of here!"

They quickly ran deeper in.

"Whoa, stop!" the blue-haired girl wailed as the other three passed her easily. "What are you trying to do, leave me behind?!"

Goku jolted to a halt, unknowingly clotheslining the bald boy. "Wait a minute. Why are we running away? Why can't we just talk this out?"

"No!" Krillin tried to convince him. "They're not here to talk, they have guns!"

The priestess frowned and knelt so that she could hold her pint-sized guardian's eyes. "They aren't the kind of people that would hear us out," she informed him with an apologetic smile. "I know that you don't want this to get violent, and I do understand, but that's what they're after. Just like with Silver and White, remember?"

"What's it matter?" Bulma groaned, slowing down a bit. "What's wrong?"

"I'm going to try talking to them," he announced stubbornly. "They might be different, like 8er was!"

Bulma and Krillin both immediately ducked behind a jut in the rock.

"Ugh!" the blue-haired girl moaned. "Goku, I knew you were strange but I didn't know you were crazy! Do you have a death wish or something?!"

Kagome heaved a sigh and stood, turning to face the approaching soldiers with him. Still considerably weak though she may be, she was at least back up to enough strength to take one or two pathetic little humans down.

Wait. Oh, gods! Did she really just think that? Damn you, Sesshoumaru...

For some reason or another, the enemy retreated before showing their faces.

Goku blinked. "I don't understand," he spoke. "Why don't they wanna come down here and talk to us?"

The priestess's eyes narrowed. "I don't know, but this doesn't feel right."

"Way to go!" Bulma cheered. "You did it, guys! Now let's hurry up and go before they decide to come back!"

"Maybe Goku scared them off," Krillin guessed. "Or maybe they're going back to get some reinforcements! Let's get moving!"

"Oh, this is it for me," the blue-haired girl bemoaned. "No more adventures!"

Kagome snorted as she and the boy joined the two of them. "Yeah, we'll see about that. They tend to grow on you."

She received twin horrified looks from Bulma and Krillin both.

"Bulma?" Goku asked as they walked. "Are you sure this path will lead us to wherever the dragon ball is hiding?"

"Pretty sure," the younger girl confirmed. "Unless the Red Ribbon Army gets us first..."

"I don't see anybody following us," the bald boy murmured.

"I can't see anything at _all_ ," Goku announced. "It's way too dark in here."

Bulma groaned. "I know! We could put Krillin up front - his head could light the way!"

The boy shot her an embarrassed glare. "That's not funny."

"We could always put _you_ up front, Bulma," Kagome offered blandly. "You know, just in case there are pits or drop-offs. Your sacrifice would keep the rest of us safe, how about it?"

The boys snickered, but it was the teen's turn to glower. "Shut up, Kagome."

Goku paused for a moment, staring at something on the wall.

"What is it?" the priestess asked.

"A button," he answered, reaching out and pressing it.

A bunch of overhead bulbs came on, flooding the area with light. They all gasped.

"Neat!" Goku laughed. "I didn't know there were lights in the ocean!"

"That's because there aren't," Kagome winced, glancing this way and that. "These are electric lights. Someone put them here."

"Okay, now I'm scared," Krillin quivered.

"One thing's for certain," Bulma murmured. "We're not the first ones in here! I just hope they aren't still running around... Strange," she murmured. "Who builds a base at the bottom of the ocean?"

"Other than pirates?" the priestess joked.

"Hey, look at me!" Goku laughed, popping up with a skull on his head.

Bulma screamed, and even Kagome jolted in surprise. "What the heck! Where did you find that thing?!" the priestess shuddered.

" _Goku_!" the other two shrilled.

The boy laughed harder. "Gotcha!"

The blue-haired girl leapt back to her feet with an angry snarl. "You almost gave me a heart attack, you little twerp!"

"Goku," Kagome got his attention. " _Where_ did you find that thing?" she repeated.

"Next to the suit," he explained, pointing over to a skeleton.

She shivered, unable to help it. Well, at least there was no meat still hanging off of the bones... That was always so creepy, no matter how many dead bodies she'd seen. Which of course meant that her dear, sweet, _sadistic_ adopted brother loved to screw with her whenever they came across one.

"Oh, that's gross!" Bulma wailed.

"Wait," Krillin gasped, his eyes going wide. "The skull! The mark of a pirate! This must be the place that Master Roshi was talking about! The pirates' sunken treasure - it's here!"

The blue-haired girl gasped, mentality instantly doing a one-eighty. "All that gold and jewelry and diamonds! Oh, please let there be diamonds!"

Kagome shot her an unimpressed glance.

"He's a pirate?" Goku wondered.

Krillin laughed excitedly. "Yes, we did it! We discovered the pirates' treasure!"

"Who needs the dragon balls?!" Bulma squealed. "We're rich! We're rich!"

The two cheered excitedly, but Goku and the priestess stood off to the side more sedately. She frowned.

"Let's keep a lookout, okay?" she sighed, bumping the boy's shoulder with her hip.

He met her gaze and nodded, even though he didn't really seem to understand.

xxxx

A/N: Alright, so Kagome's starting to open up a bit more. Looks like Goku's approach really is yielding the best results, huh? Thanks as always for reading!

Edit: 7/02/16


	10. Chapter 10

"I can't believe we found the pirates' secret hideout!" Krillin gushed, practically bouncing as they continued down the cave. "I'm gonna find tons and tons of treasure, and I'm gonna be _so_ rich!"

Bulma, apparently having calmed down a bit, snorted. "You sure are in a good mood. Don't tell me you already forgot that those army guys are still after us.

Goku sighed. "I'd rather find a room full of food than one full of gold..."

Kagome chuckled and reached into her bag. "I thought you might say something like that at some point."

He immediately brightened as she pulled out an apple and handed it to him.

"Oh, I wish I had bigger pockets!" the bald boy laughed excitedly. "Or a wagon! Or even better, a wheelbarrow!"

"Or a storage dino-cap," Bulma threw in. "That could be nice."

The older boy laughed. "Treasure, treasure!"

The blue-haired girl frowned after a while of wandering. "How much further do we have to walk to get to the end of this tunnel?"

"I'm still hungry," Goku mumbled, his apple not having even lasted two minutes.

Kagome shook her head wryly. "I'll make you something when we get back to Master Pervert's place."

He beamed at her.

"We're getting close!" Krillin announced.

They came up to a strange section of the cave full of dots.

"Hey," the bald boy gaped. "The path gets much smoother here!"

"Yeah... Or not," the black-haired girl murmured to herself, looking tired.

Goku looked up at her curiously.

"Why would a bunch of pirates wanna decorate their walls and floor with polkadots?" Bulma wondered.

"Who knows?" Krillin waved it off. "They could cover the walls with funny papers for all I care! Come on!"

He stepped forward, his foot landing on one of the dots, and there was a click.

"Oh, crap!" Kagome blurted out, grabbing him by his collar and hauling him back right as a spear shot just above where his head would have been.

The bald boy let out a choked scream and latched around her leg.

"Whoa!" Goku gaped.

"I knew those dots seemed kind of weird!" Bulma cried.

Krillin slowly stopped shaking so much and let the black-haired girl go. "W-what was that all about?"

Kagome heaved a sigh. "Boobytrap. My brother used to _love_ these things."

"It's a good thing you're so short," the tailed boy shook his head. "That could've gone right through you if Kagome hadn't grabbed you!"

"Hey, you're no giant yourself, buddy!" the bald boy scowled.

"How are we supposed to get through here without coming out like swiss cheese?" the blue-haired girl bemoaned. "And those army creeps are still after us! What are we supposed to do?"

"We'll be okay if we don't touch those round things on the floor, won't we?" Goku asked, looking up at the black-haired girl.

"Either don't touch them or go faster than the mechanisms can launch," she confirmed.

"What are you talking about?!" Bulma wailed. "They're all over the place! How are we supposed to get through here without stepping on them, huh?! Look at them!"

"We'll just jump," the boy grinned, taking a few steps back.

"Huh?" the blue-haired girl gawked.

"Here I go!" he announced, taking off at a run and leaping right across.

Bulma and Krillin both gaped, and Kagome clapped.

"Amazing," Bulma murmured. "That's more than fifty feet!"

"Okay, Krillin!" he shouted. "It's your turn!"

"I-I see," the other boy nodded. "No problem. I can do that!"

"No, don't try it Krillin!" Bulma squeaked. "You'll be skewered! Goku's not a normal kid!"

The bald boy grinned. "Don't worry - it's no sweat for us! I trained under Master Roshi too you know! It'll be a piece of cake."

He also took off at a run and jumped, but ended up hitting his head on the ceiling.

He went down right at the end, managing to bump a couple of the dots in the process. Luckily, he didn't get hit thanks to having landed on his back.

Goku dragged him away from them by the ankle. "Are you okay?"

"That sure was close..." the bald boy shuddered.

"You jumped too high!" he chuckled at his fellow student, before turning back to the girls. "Okay, guys! You try it now!"

"Are you _nuts_?!" Bulma shrieked. "There's no way I can jump that far!"

Kagome sighed. "Alright, come here."

"Wait, what?" the blue-haired girl squawked.

"Come here," the other repeated, squatting down and staring up at her expectantly. "We can just piggyback it."

"Are you _crazy_?!" Bulma screamed, looking horrified.

"Yes," Kagome admitted simply. "But I should also have enough strength back to do at least this much. Now hurry up, before those army jerks catch up."

The blue-haired girl paled, but slowly did as she was told and wrapped her arms around the other girl's neck. Kagome stood up straight, hooking her hands under Bulma's knees, and took a couple of steps back.

"Alright, hang on," she instructed. "And, you know, maybe... keep your eyes closed."

"Why would I keep my eyes-GYAAAHHHH!" Bulma screamed as Kagome sped into a run - and _didn't_ jump. Instead, she darted across the expanse on light feet, somehow managing to only step on the parts of the floor that were safe.

Goku and Krillin gaped at her as she let Bulma down, the blue-haired girl slumping down to the floor in a boneless, terrified puddle.

Kagome just frowned and stared at her hand, clenching a fist. "Still not enough..."

"That's not enough?" Krillin squeaked.

"How'd you do that?" Goku asked excitedly. "You missed all of them!"

She shrugged and shifted up onto her tiptoes. "You don't always have to use the whole foot to run."

He nodded, standing up on his own toes experimentally and staring down at them.

"Come on," she suggested, grabbing his attention as she started to walk again. "Let's keep going."

Bulma stood on shaky legs, and the four continued their way down the tunnel.

Goku tapped one of the walls as they wandered. "Seems solid enough."

"Just be careful," the blue-haired girl whimpered, still not recovered from her traumatic experience of earlier. "We don't know if there are going to be more traps as we go."

The kept going a ways, finally reaching another section.

"Uh-oh," the tailed boy announced. "It's dark in there."

"That figures," Bulma whined, grabbing hold of Kagome's shoulders and hiding behind her as they kept going. "Why does this keep happening to me?"

The black-haired girl just sighed and rolled her eyes, not saying anything.

Suddenly, there was a strange glow further in, surprising the group. As they got closer to them, it became clear that the glow was coming out of the eyes of a bunch of skulls that littered the floor.

"It's the skeletons again," Goku gasped.

"Creepy!" Krillin shuddered. "These skulls have lights coming from their eye sockets!"

"I hope this isn't another trap..." the other boy murmured.

"I wouldn't rule it out," Bulma squeaked. "You never know what these pirates could have rigged up!"

"So long as they don't come to life and start attacking us, I'm good," Kagome gulped.

The blue-haired girl gawked at her, letting out a shriek that soon turned into a scream as the floor gave out from under them.

Goku quickly grabbed the ledge, Kagome grabbed him, Bulma grabbed Kagome, and Krillin grabbed Bulma. They all glanced down, feeling the rise of intense heat from below, and the blue-haired girl gave a sob.

"Oh, that's lava!" she wailed.

"It's what?" Goku questioned, eyes wide and knowing that _whatever_ it was, he was pretty sure that he wouldn't like it.

"It's molten rock," the black-haired girl explained, her voice strained.

"If we fall, we'll melt!" Bulma shrieked, squirming around and squeezing the other girl's waist tighter.

Krillin squawked and clung to the blue-haired girl desperately. "Please, shorts, don't fail me now!" he sobbed, hanging onto her pocket for dear life.

"Stop wiggling, pervert!" Bulma shouted. "What do you think this is, a peep show?!"

The bald boy went red. "W-what are you talking about?! Of course I don't!" Though, he did stare a bit when the girl's shorts fell some more...

She kicked him. "LIAR! Shut your eyes!"

"O-okay!" he yelped, squeezing his eyes shut - right before peeking out of one.

"You better have both eyes shut, Krillin," Bulma growled.

"But I do!" he insisted.

She kicked him again repeatedly. "I can still feel you looking! Cover your eyes with-!"

"OKAY!" Kagome screamed. "Enough! Are you trying to get us all killed?! Goku, can you pull us up?"

"I'll try!" he agreed, hurrying to do so.

The ledge gave out.

They all screamed as they fell.

"Goku!" Bulma wailed.

He winced and pulled out his Power Pole, pointing it down at the lava below. "O-okay! Power Pole, extend!"

It bent under their weight for a moment, Bulma letting out a shriek and Kagome hugging his waist even tighter with a little squeak of her own, but then it straightened back out and sent them flying through the hole and onto the path once more.

"Phew," he exhaled. "We made it!"

"Why didn't you listen to me?!" the blue-haired girl exploded. "I told you that pirates could set up anything! You almost got us killed!"

Kagome smacked the other girl in the back of the head. "Uh, he _saved_ us."

Bulma winced and rubbed at the abused spot. "Ow..."

Goku shared her pain. Kagome hit _hard_.

Out of nowhere, he thought he heard a scream "Hey did anyone else hear that?"

The blue-haired girl and Krillin both shuddered and moved closer to him.

"M-must have been your imagination," Bulma squeaked.

"O-okay!" Krillin cheered. "Let's get going and find the treasure, but carefully this time!"

They all sidled along the side of the ledge, wary of falling back in, and continued on their way once more.

"Wow," Goku gasped as they entered another room. "It's like a city in here!"

"Yeah," the other three agreed almost dazedly.

"Look at this place!" the boy exclaimed, wandering further inside. There was a giant sub, a canal - everything!

"This must be the pirates' port," Bulma murmured.

"What a strange location for it," Krillin added.

"I know," the tailed boy agreed. "It's really weird that this is all hidden inside a cave!"

"Yeah," the blue-haired girl nodded along. "It's no wonder no one was ever able to find the pirates' base."

Kagome just sighed. "Sure is a lot of technology for an old, abandoned pirate lair," she grumbled to herself.

Goku glanced up at her. "What was that?"

She shook her head tiredly. "Nothing."

"Oh, yeah!" the bald boy bounced. "This has gotta be where they stashed their treasure! It's around here somewhere, I just know it!"

"Hey, wait a minute," Bulma announced. "That huge submarine! If it's in here, there _must_ be another way in and out of the cave!"

Krillin turned to look at her. "Huh? Why is that?"

She shot him a glance. "They didn't have capsules in the old days - they couldn't just make the submarine small and carry it," she explained. "So I bet to travel out to sea, they had to go under the port!"

"Oh, I get it now," the bald boy nodded.

Goku jolted, suddenly hearing something, and slid into a fighting stance. "I think we've got company," he declared.

Krillin gulped. "The army?"

"Nuh-uh," the other boy denied. "Whatever it is, I don't think it's human."

Bulma shrieked. "What do you mean it's not human?!"

Kagome got a weird look on her face and glanced around, falling back a step. Goku kept trying to track where the sounds were coming from, finally finding the source. "It's there!" he shouted, pointing to a pile of crates.

"It's a pirate ghost, I just know it!" the blue-haired girl sobbed.

"Don't be silly, of course it can't be a ghost," Kagome teased distractedly.

"Because they don't exist?" Krillin guessed, sounding relieved.

"No," the black-haired girl shook her head. "They exist, alright. But don't make that much noise, that's for sure."

The two yelped.

Something sped out of the shadows. "Arr, matey!" it shouted in a mechanical voice.

"Watch out!" Goku yelled, grabbing Kagome while Krillin grabbed Bulma and they leapt out of the way.

"Shiver me timbers," the skull-face spoke again.

"It's... it's a phantom!" Bulma wailed.

"No," Krillin argued, "it's a robot!"

"A robot?" Goku repeated uncertainly.

The thing rose its arm and swung a giant sword at them, sending them all scrambling out of the way quickly. They continued to dodge as it attacked, though the boy did realize in the back of his head that Kagome had ducked away at some point.

He hoped that she wasn't in any trouble.

xxxx

She flinched, hearing her friend (and two new sort-of-friends) fighting off the robot, but she didn't run out to help. Instead, she kept behind the crates and worked her way through the shadows. For the moment, she was going to ignore the fact that such an 'antiquated' robot was running around, and that apparently these capsule things had been around for long enough that a thirteen-year-old kid didn't know anything about a world without them, and instead focus on what she could handle.

Someone else was skulking around here. Goku could overcome just about anything, and she was pretty sure that Krillin wouldn't be completely useless, but if someone came at them from behind with a sneak attack...

Well, her teacher had been a big fan of the preemptive strike.

That Bulma blew a hole in the wall - _and very nearly Goku, too_ \- had her cringing, but she stayed hidden and just prayed that they wouldn't bring the whole place down on top of them. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief when Bulma drove a truck into it and knocked it over the side and into the water and there was an explosion.

"Superb technology," the blue-haired girl sighed as the three stared down into the ocean. "And to think, he was built centuries ago! By _pirates_."

"Are you sure the pirates are dead?" Goku spoke up, causing the other two to jump.

"Huh?" they asked.

"It's strange," he explained. "But even with the robot gone, I still feel like we're being watched!"

"What?" Krillin squawked. "Really?"

"Why'd you have to say that?" Bulma wailed. "Let's get out of here! Now that you said that, I've got the willies big time!"

"Ugh," the bald boy shuddered. "Wait up! Come on, Goku."

"I'm coming!" he assured, looking around. "Where did Kagome-wah!" he cut himself off with a yelp, something dragging him below the water.

The priestess flinched. Okay, so this was _not_ the time to be hiding after all.

She darted out from behind the boxes and stared down at the depths worriedly. "Goku!"

He shot back out a moment later, landing on the same walkway that he had been running across earlier - the same one that Bulma had shot. She breathed a sigh of relief and ran over to check on him.

"Are you alright?!" Krillin yelled up at him.

"Me?" the boy murmured dazedly. "Alright? Alright who?"

The walkway crumbled and he fell.

She let out a worried squeak and sped up.

"Goku!" Bulma shouted.

A rock dropped right on his tail, making him scream.

"That must have hurt!" the bald boy shuddered.

"Nah, it tickled," Goku groaned tiredly as she came up next to him. "Silly rock..."

"Silly _boy_ ," she corrected with a long-suffering sigh, kneeling down and pushing the hunk of stone off of him.

"Oh, hey," Krillin called. "Kagome! Where did you run off to?"

"Nowhere!" she assured, giving her little friend a hand up.

"Guys, above you!" the blue-haired girl shrieked suddenly. "Look out!"

She jolted and glanced up, her eyes widening when she saw the rest of the walkway cracking apart and tumbling right at them. Without thinking, she gave Goku's wrist a sharp yank and they both fell heavily into the water behind them.

By the time they swam back up to the surface, the other two were gone - but they could still hear their screams.

"Come on!" the boy rushed, pulling out his staff and planting it firmly.

Knowing what he was suggesting, she hurried over and gripped it as well, her hands a bit further up than his own.

He shot her a quick grin. "Power Pole, extend!"

She gave a quiet yelp as they immediately shot up into the air, her hold tightening. She could have been wrong, of course, but she was pretty sure that Goku laughed at her. They rose up to a window with smoke coming out of it in plumes, and caught sight of their wayward companions.

"Oh hey guys!" the boy greeted, causing them both to fall over.

"And where the heck have you been?!" Bulma shrieked as they jolted back upright.

"Really!" Krillin agreed.

The robot let out a roar and Goku extended the staff even further, landing the pair of them up at the top of another walkway while the other two leapt out and slid down it.

"Heh, heh, heh!" he chuckled. "Silly pirate."

"Goku, Kagome, let's get out of here!" Krillin shouted up at them.

"You guys go ahead!" the tailed boy called back, rejecting the idea. "Hurry, he's about to be down there!"

They both screamed and ran.

"Power Pole, retract!" he instructed.

"Now what?" the priestess questioned wryly.

"Aerial attack!" he grinned cheekily, watching as the robot rolled out into the open below them. "Come on, stay still for a second... Okay. One, two, three!"

She palmed her face as he dove, finally beginning to get used to this.

The boy was rubber. She was going to have to just accept that sooner or later.

He shouted as he fell, colliding with the machine heavily and blowing it up.

Kagome, still on top of the building, let out a scream as the structure began to collapse. "Dammit, Goku!" she yelped, leaping off the side and aiming for the water below. The boy was quick to help her back up, and they were off running once more.

This time with the whole cave threatening to come down on top of them.

"Now where?" Goku yelped as they came to an intersection.

"Look," she pointed down at a chalk arrow. "Krillin probably drew that. Shall we?"

He grinned up at her and nodded, both of them taking off down the corridor.

"Hey," the boy spoke up after they had run for a couple of minutes. "Where are they? Bulma's not that fast, we should have caught up with them by now!"

She frowned down at him, catching his shoulder and slowing. "You're right..."

They came to a stop.

"Goku," she drew out slowly, "I think we might have been tricked."

"But Krillin would _never_ play a mean trick like that," he argued. "Not at a time like this, at least!"

" _But_ ," she pointed out, "there's someone else down here, too."

He blinked up at her. "You felt it, too?"

She nodded. "That's why I ran off earlier. I was thinking that I would track whoever it was down, but then you went and got into trouble before I could find the guy."

"Oh!" he gasped in understanding. "So... what now?"

She bit her lip and glanced around, taking note of the slowly crumbling ceiling. "Well, we _definitely_ shouldn't let Bulma fire cannons while we're in underwater caves anymore," she sighed. "Come on, I think we should try turning around."

"But what if we just haven't caught up to them yet?" he worried.

She frowned. "Okay, you keep going, then - _I'll_ go back the other way. Deal?"

His eyes went wide. "But will you be okay on your own? You're still sick, right?"

"I'm fine," she assured, flicking him in the forehead and turning around. "We'll catch up on the surface, alright!"

He thought it over for a second, but finally nodded. "Be careful, okay!"

"You, too!" she shouted over her shoulder, running back the way that they had come.

xxxx

Goku kept running for a long time, beginning to think that maybe Kagome'd had the right idea. He was going at top speed, and _still_ hadn't caught up to them yet!

Especially when he reached a dead-end. He let out a groan.

"Looks like Kagome was right," the boy sighed, turning around. "Okay, I guess I'd better head back, too - whoa!" he yelped as the floor fell out from under him, sending him tumbling down into a dark pit.

Whatever he fell on was bouncy and made weird noises, and he looked around curiously in an attempt to figure out where he was. Wait, were those legs?

One of the legs swooshed up, and he jolted.

Something started laughing beneath him.

xxxx

Kagome glared down at the structure before her.

So. Her old nemesis had returned to haunt her, had it?

"Why does it always have to be a well?" she snarled, setting her backpack (courtesy of Bulma) on the ground long enough to strip down to her chest-wraps and underwear. " _Always_! The only thing worse would have been a giant spider, I _swear_!" She quickly stuffed her clothes, together with Bulma and Krillin's, into the bag and pulled it back onto her shoulders after making sure that it was zipped up securely.

Tightening the strap that went over her stomach, she jumped up onto the lip, took a deep breath, and dove in.

xxxx

"Hey," Goku gaped, "I know what you are! All those legs... Heh... You're a... spider!" he declared. "Gosh, it's a good thing Kagome went the other way. She hates spiders."

"I'M AN OCTOPUS!" the spider screamed at him angrily.

He blinked. "Oh." If the spider wanted to say that it wasn't a spider, he supposed that was up to it. He needed to backtrack and catch up with the others. "Nice meeting you," he said as he waved. "Bye."

The spider laughed again, lifting one of its weird legs and slamming it down next to him. "You're not taking the scene, sweetmeat," it declared. "You're my little octo-treat!"

He frowned. "I am not!"

"Don't be mad, baby," the spider cackled. "It's just a little destiny. Come to octo-daddy!"

He dodged out of the way as the thing kept trying to hit him, chuckling just a bit.

"Look into my eyes," the spider demanded after a moment.

The boy blinked. What was so special about its eyes?

It smacked him on the head when he wasn't paying attention, and he yelped.

It laughed again.

"You're mean!" he growled, rubbing at the sore spot. He could feel a bump growing and everything!

The boy launched into a kick... only to get stuck in the thing's head.

It shot him through the air, then reached out and grabbed him with one of its legs - which _really_ tickled.

"Yummy," the spider snickered. "I'll bet you're packed with flavor, aren't you!"

"Let me down!" he barked irritably. "You can't eat people!"

It cackled even louder and slammed him against the one of the walls. "For a small guy, you talk pretty big!"

xxxx

She surfaced slowly, eyes narrowing at the back of a blond head.

'Oh, Krillin,' she thought to herself with a silent groan as he opened one of the chests - and a little jack-in-the-box with a machine gun popped out to start shooting him.

Bulma slowly crept out once it had run out of bullets and tapped the thing, knocking it over. "He wasn't so tough," she snorted.

"Oh, yeah?" the boy defended. "Then why were _you_ hiding behind that _rock_?"

The girl ignored the question, instead drawing attention to the small crater that had been left by the gunfire. "Wow. If you weren't so short, he would've blown your head off!"

Krillin glanced nervously back at it before shooting her a glare. "I'm not short!"

She scoffed. "Not only are you short, you're short-sighted," she declared. "That's why you almost got killed."

He blinked at her. "Huh?"

"You should know better than to open the gold chest, duh!" the teen announced. "Right in the middle? It was a setup."

"Oh?" he deadpanned, watching her wander over to the left. "And which chest would a tall, brilliant person like you have opened?"

"Well," Bulma continued, oblivious to his sarcasm, "that dull one there. No one would think to open it first!"

"Except a genius like you, right?" he snarked.

"Exactly," she boasted. "Very perceptive."

Kagome had to fight down a laugh when Krillin started making gunshot noises right as she opened the lid.

She shrieked and ducked.

"Uh, Bulma?" the boy called, walking over to her with a cheeky grin. "That was me."

The teen snarled at him. "I _know_!" she argued. "UGH!"

xxxx

Goku stared down at the giant mouth waiting to eat him, and wondered for a moment if this was how some of his food felt. Not that he ever mocked it like the spider was doing, but it was something to think about.

... Now, what would he really hate for _his_ food to do to _him_?

"Well," the thing laughed, "it's time to die, small fry!"

"Wait!" he shouted. "I want to give you something first."

He just almost laughed when he told the spider straight-out that it was the Kamehameha wave, and it actually asked to see it.

As a bonus, he even got a snack!

xxxx

A/N: Chapter ten! Geez, I should probably stop posting these so fast or I'm going to hit the end of how much I've written ahead... I blame all of my lovely reviewers. You ask for more, and I just can't resist! Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

Edit: 7/02/16


	11. Chapter 11

The two pushed the chest open, staring down into it for a long moment.

"What in the world?" Bulma finally wondered.

They shared a glance.

"What do you think it's to?" the girl questioned.

"I don't know," Krillin admitted.

The teen reached in and pulled out a key. "Some treasure," she grumped.

Kagome's eyes narrowed at the back of blondie's head as he shifted.

"What now?" Bulma sighed. "Do you think it's to a door?"

"Well, there aren't any doors in here," the boy pointed out.

"Yeah, good point..." she groaned.

He looked around, finally noticing the keyhole on the base of the statue. "Hey, Bulma? Check it out! That's _gotta_ be it."

"Yeah, good eye!" the girl agreed, both of them moving to try it out. "This could be big trouble," she thought to warn.

"Yeah," the boy nodded nervously.

A cascade of jewels and gold fell from the statue's mouth, filling up the middle chest.

"You know what this means, don't you?!" the blue-haired teen cheered. "We're rich!"

"Yeah!" Krillin bounced excitedly.

"I'm afraid that you're both mistaken," the blond spoke up, finally climbing up out of the water. "That treasure belongs to the Red Ribbon Army."

They both gasped and turned around.

"No good bullies!" Bulma cried out indignantly.

Blondie just chuckled self-righteously - and the teen promptly lost her mind.

"Oh!" she gasped, going red and love-struck in an instant. "Hello, I'm Bulma!"

She tried cozying up to the guy, freaking Krillin - _and_ the jerk - out. Kagome just tried not to slap her forehead as she drifted closer to the shore, staying silent and out of sight.

"Ew, don't touch me!" Blondie shrieked, pulling away from the girl. "Disgusting!"

The two on land both gaped.

"You - you prude!" Bulma accused, obviously trying to salvage her pride.

"Funny," Krillin snorted. "For a big guy, you sure scare easy!"

The guy growled. "I doubt you'll find me so funny when you're dead! You have a death-wish, don't you cueball?"

The priestess gave a soundless snort. Redundant much?

The boy just grinned threateningly. "Just because you're tall and muscle-bound doesn't mean I can't stomp you, pal!"

"Oh?" Blondie sneered. "You think so, huh?"

"I _know_ so!" he declared stubbornly.

Sadly, he apparently did not. He got his ass handed to him. Kagome carefully ignored the rest of their dialog, sneaking over and picking up one of the discarded swords that littered the shore.

"That's it!" Krillin finally groaned as he picked himself up. Again. "You've done it now!"

The man laughed. "Is that so? A Girl Scout could put up a better fight than you - believe me, I know!"

"Wanna try that out?" the priestess finally spoke up, dropping her backpack beside her and shifting into a fighting stance.

They all jumped and turned around to look at her.

"Kagome!" Bulma cheered.

"Hey, no!" Krillin tried to argue, leaping into the air and kicking the guy in the face. "I got this, see!"

The priestess raised an eyebrow, but relaxed a bit...

Right up until Blondie went psycho over a little blood and somehow paralyzed the boy with some kind of 'special power', at least.

She gave a snarl as he kicked the motionless boy and charged. "Hey, asshole!"

He turned, trying to catch her with a left cross. She dodged, bringing the sword up to slash him across the chest.

The man went deathly still, gaping down at the gash. "Y-you... just..."

Not giving him enough time to make a comeback, she delivered a sharp kick to his side and sent him flying into one of the walls the same way that he'd been tossing Krillin around. "Well?!" she challenged, following up with an elbow to his face. "Where's the tough guy now?!"

He screamed, the bone cracking beneath the force of her blow.

"Kick his butt, Kagome!" Bulma shouted loudly. "Get him!"

His eyes flew open and he glared at her, but the miko knew better than to look him straight in the face. She'd known a few too many demons who could use their eyes to, as he had with Krillin, paralyze an enemy or worse. That had been a part of her training.

Goku flew out of the water. "Krillin!" he yelled. "Are you okay?!"

Ah, the boy must have heard his friend scream earlier. Well, it was nice to know that they wouldn't have to track each other down when they all got out of this stupid cave at least.

"Hey!" Goku growled. "Stop picking on my friends, you big bully!"

She kicked him again, sending him further into the wall. "Look, I got this - would you guys mind just focussing on finding the dragon ball?"

The man snarled, lunging at her with a punch.

The priestess ducked the blow, slamming the hilt of her sword into his gut, following it up with another blow to his face in return.

"M-my tooth is loose," the guy choked out after a moment of laying there and staring up at her, horrified. "My tooth is loose! You shouldn't have done that, you little-!"

She kicked him again before he could finish his sentence.

"I don't appreciate brainless men, you idiot," she scoffed, smashing his head against the wall. "Guys, I meant it! Enough gawking, now find that stupid ball so we can leave!"

"G-got it!" Bulma yelped, running to do as she was told. "Goku, help me with this!"

"Oh, and Krillin!" she shouted, glancing over and meeting his eye. "Stuff as much of that treasure as you can fit into my bag, okay? Take out your clothes and Bulma's if you want, but I'll slaughter you if you lose mine!"

He beamed at her, also hurrying to do as instructed. "You got it, Kagome!"

The priestess quickly knocked the soldier out after that.

"We good?" she called, making sure that he was out.

"Good!" Krillin shouted, struggling to zip up the backpack.

"Good!" Bulma also called out, helping Goku up out of the pool.

"Then _run_!" she yelled, yanking her bag up onto her back and stumbling just a bit from the weight. "Before this place comes down!"

The cracking of the tunnel around them seemed as good an incentive as any, and the four of them quickly dove back down into the water.

xxxx

All four of them were crammed into the sub abandoned by the pirates, with Bulma at the wheel and the other four squeezed into the backseat. Goku was practically in Kagome's lap, and Krillin was very determinedly holding onto her backpack and the treasure within. The only problem was that they still ended up catching a rock, and the sub was left without any power - which meant that they were in a very tight spot.

Goku had an idea, though. "All of you take a deep breath, okay?" he instructed, shifting around so that he was standing on the only portion of seat that wasn't being sat on.

"Goku?" Kagome called worriedly.

"Like I said, take a deep breath!" he grinned. "Ka... me... ha... me... haa!"

The girl sucked in a strangled gasp as the wave exploded behind them, launching them up and out into the open air.

"Nimbus!" he shouted with a laugh.

The cloud swooped down and caught them, Krillin quickly grabbing his hand and Bulma grabbing Kagome's so that they didn't fall.

The black-haired girl gaped at him. "What... was that?" she squeaked.

"The Kamehameha wave?" he blinked up at her. "I learned it from Master Roshi. Haven't you seen it before?"

She shook her head, eyes still wide.

His head tilted to one side. "Oh. Well, I guess you have now!"

"Y-yeah," she smiled at him weakly. "I have now."

They landed on one of the islands, each of them relaxing now that they were home free.

"Sure feels great to be back on land!" Goku announced happily, stretching his arms over his head.

"Says the one still on Nimbus," the older girl teased him as she hopped down.

"Geez, Kagome, what was that back there?" Bulma asked after a relieved sigh. "You wiped the floor with that guy, and you didn't even break a sweat!"

"Yeah," Krillin nodded in agreement. "I've never seen that fighting style before."

The black-haired girl blushed a bit as she snatched her bag from the bald boy and pulled out her clothes, tugging them on quickly. For the first time, Goku actually realized that she was practically naked - and for some reason, that had him blushing just a bit, too. "My brother taught me," she explained, letting Krillin latch around her backpack again once she was done with it. "He was pretty insistent that I learn how to fight properly."

"I'll say you can," the other girl admired. "Is that the kind of thing you wanted to teach me back on Roshi's island?"

"No way," Kagome immediately deadpanned. "You have to learn how to dodge first."

Bulma went red. "S-shut up..."

"Krillin," the black-haired girl spoke up, glancing back at the bald boy who was snuggling her bag. "You do know that all those pretties you've got there are going to get split up between the four of us, right?"

His face fell slightly, but he nodded.

"Oh, yeah!" Goku gasped, reaching into his shirt and pulling out his own loot. "I forgot about the dragon ball! Uwah... Oh, no! Three stars... I really thought this one was going to be my grandpa's ball..."

"We'll find it eventually," Kagome assured, giving him a comforting smile.

"That wasn't the one you were looking for?" Bulma questioned.

"No," the boy affirmed.

The blue-haired girl frowned a bit. "Are you going to keep looking for those things until you find the one that was your grandfather's?"

"That's right," he agreed. "I'm not gonna stop."

"And I'm along for the ride," the black-haired girl chuckled.

Bulma made a face, seeming to get angry. "Fine - but you'll have to do it without me! I'm through! No more crazy adventures!"

Goku blinked down at her. "I thought you liked looking for the dragon balls. Isn't that why you came along? You sorta invited yourself."

Kagome winced. "Coulda worded that a little differently, kiddo..."

Bulma growled at him darkly before he could argue that he wasn't a kid. "I _wouldn't_ have if you had bothered to mention that the Red Ribbon Army was trying to _destroy_ you!" she screamed.

"They weren't that tough," he frowned. "Look how easy it was to beat General Blue!"

"If that's your idea of fun, great," the girl snarled. "Me, I'd like to live long enough to enjoy my share of the treasure!"

"Anyway!" Krillin interrupted. "How about we continue this conversation at Roshi's place? We even have transportation, courtesy of the Red Ribbon Army," he pointed out, jabbing a finger towards a pair of helicopters.

Goku slumped over tiredly. "I can't go anywhere until I get something to eat," he whined. "I'm starving! Maybe we could find some food in one of these houses... come on!"

"Alright," Bulma groaned as he leapt down from Nimbus, the four of them turning and walking towards the small group of buildings. "We'll go inside and get some food, and that's _it_! This place gives me the creeps."

They made their way inside one of the structures, looking around curiously.

"There doesn't seem to be much here," Bulma sighed.

"Headquarters to Blue Camp, come in Blue Camp," a voice spoke from off to the side, surprising them. "Awaiting transmission, respond immediately. Do you copy Blue Camp, over?"

Goku glanced up at Kagome. "That's another one of those speaker things, right?"

She nodded. "And from the sounds of it, we've found the army's base of operations."

"This is a secure transmission," the voice continued irritably. "Awaiting reply. Requesting status report, over!" There was a slight pause. "This is RRA headquarters, calling Blue Camp! Are you there, over?! Come in!"

"Sounds important," he announced, walking over and poking the panel.

"Our radar shows the dragon ball at your current location," it persisted. "Can you confirm that, over?!"

"Over?" he wondered. "Over what?"

A different voice came over the speaker next. "Identify yourself, soldier!" it demanded with a growl.

He made a face and glanced over at Kagome. "What should I say?"

She shrugged, even though the other two were starting to freak out. "Whatever you feel like, I guess. This _is_ our first chance to talk to the guys in charge."

He nodded and poked the microphone thoughtfully. "Are you a boy or a girl?"

There was a loud snarl. "You idiot! I am Red, Supreme Commander Red!"

"I think it's a boy," the black-haired girl laughed. "The voice is a bit deep to be a girl, just statistically speaking."

"What's a statistically?" he asked.

"It just means-"

"ATTENTION!" the speaker screamed, cutting her off.

He frowned and slammed a hand down on the microphone. "Stop shouting!"

There were a few yells on the other end. "Who does this guy think he is?! Do you have any idea who you're messing with?!"

"Nope!" he admitted.

There was a beat of silence. "I AM THE RED RIBBON ARMY!"

The boy cringed and covered an ear. "Ow!" he complained, finally smashing down on the whole panel and breaking it.

"Goku, are you crazy?!" Krillin shrieked.

"He was being too noisy," the other boy defended himself.

"Enough!" Bulma wailed. "We're leaving!"

Goku's face fell. "What about food?"

"Starve," the bald boy growled.

Kagome rolled her eyes and glanced around as they left, snagging her backpack from a screaming Krillin and slipping into another one of the houses while Bulma and Krillin started up one of the planes. "Oh, come on! What's two more minutes?"

He grinned and hurried to follow her. Kagome was always on his side!

"Enough with the food!" the blue-haired girl shouted impatiently. "Let's go!"

The two walked back outside, arms laden with all sorts of stuff. "Okay!" the boy grinned. "We're ready! Are you sure you're not hungry? They've got plenty."

Bulma didn't look too happy as they took off, he and Kagome climbing up on Nimbus to follow after them. He scarfed down the food quickly and happily, offering his black-haired friend one of the peaches that they had grabbed.

She just smiled and accepted it. "Thanks, Goku."

They made it back to the island quickly, before the girl had even finished her peach, and went in for a landing.

"Hello!" he called out, waving.

"We're back!" Krillin joined in, climbing up on the side of the plane.

They hopped down and Kagome reached into her bag, pulling out one of the rocks at random and tossing it at Master Roshi. "Sorry. The sub kind of blew up," she explained.

"Oh, good!" Bulma heaved a sigh of relief. "I was worried about that..."

"Don't worry," the black-haired girl smiled brightly. "It's coming out of your share."

The blue-haired girl immediately started shouting at her.

"Wait," the old man spoke up uncertainly, staring down at the fist-sized diamond. "You mean you're giving this to me?"

Bulma sighed again, this time in defeat. "Yep."

"But this thing must be worth a ton of money!" the master gawked.

"Yes sir," the girl groaned, slumping. "I'd say over a billion zeni."

Roshi choked. "A b-b-b-b-b-b-billion zeni?! Whoa, that's a lot of gem!" He stared down at the rock in disbelief. "Wah... I could certainly buy a lot of exercise tapes with that... why, I don't even know if I can count that high, Bulma!"

Krillin snorted. "Nice to know you're going to do something worthwhile with it. You know, considering we almost _died_ trying to get it..."

The old man growled. "That was just a theoretical example!"

"Do you really think it's worth a whole lot?" Goku questioned, blinking. It just looked like a rock to him.

"Of course it is," his fellow apprentice chided. "Don't be silly, we're talkin' big bucks!"

"Well, alright," Roshi agreed, stroking the thing. "I was kinda partial to that submarine... You're not going to turn around and ask for it back later, are you?!"

Bulma frowned. "I would never do that!"

"Maybe I should hold onto it for safekeeping," Turtle offered. "That way you won't be tempted to spend it on something you might not really wanna buy."

"Are you insinuating that I don't make sound financial decisions?!" he roared.

"Yes," the tortoise admitted simply.

"Why, you no good-! I'm gonna buy myself a better turtle, that's what I'm gonna do! I'm gonna make soup out of you!"

"Come on," the blue-haired girl rolled her eyes. "There's no point in arguing about it!"

There was the sudden sound of a gun cocking behind them.

"She's right," Launch spoke up. "Especially since I'm the one holdin' the gun!"

They all jolted and spun around.

"Hand it over before someone gets hurt," the blonde woman demanded, holding out a hand in expectation.

Roshi floundered. "Hand over what, Launch? I've already given my donations this year!"

Krillin threw his arms up over his head. "Don't shoot! I surrender!"

The woman growled. "Give it!"

"Waah, okay!" the master screamed, rushing up to pass her the diamond.

"Who is that?!" Bulma squeaked.

"Launch," Goku explained with a sigh.

"Launch?" the blue-haired girl repeated uncertainly.

"Yeah," the boy nodded. "You've met her before, remember?"

"But _she's_ nice!" she squawked protestingly.

The blonde fired at the pair and they yelped as they rushed to dodge.

"Hands up and shut up!" Launch snarled, walking forward with a grin. "That completes our transaction..."

She darted over to jump into the helicopter, but Kagome tripped her.

The woman gave a shriek and fell face-first into the sand, the gun flying out of her hand.

The black-haired girl just stared down at her, face blank, and slung her backpack up onto her shoulders.

Launch stood up, cracking her knuckles angrily. "You wanna go, bitch?!"

Kagome gave her a pleasant smile that really wasn't so pleasant. "You shot at my friends and thought that you could get away with it?" she retorted.

The woman snarled and twitched violently, but jumped up into the airplane instead of actually confronting her at the moment. "Next time I see your mug, you're dead! You hear me?! _Dead_!"

"Hey!" the black-haired girl shouted. "Oh, I don't _think_ so! Nimbus!" The cloud swooped down and she leapt on top of it. "After her!"

Roshi gaped. "She... can actually use the Flying Nimbus?"

"Oh, yeah - Nimbus likes her a lot," Goku blinked up at the man as the cloud shot up into the sky right behind the airplane.

"Uh... is she gonna come back?" Krillin wondered nervously.

"Yeah, eventually," the tailed boy nodded. "Once she catches Launch, at least."

They were silent for a long while.

"So... should we all go inside now or what?" Bulma suggested.

xxxx

Kagome darted after the airplane on Nimbus, a determined frown stretching her lips. So this was Launch's other side, was it? Ugh, it was like that one guy from the Band of Seven all over again.

"Get back here!" she shouted, drawing up even with the plane. "What, too scared to fight a girl?!"

"Oh, real cute!" the blonde sneered. "What's your problem, huh?!"

"Right now? That would be you!" she growled, jumping from the cloud and onto the seat next to the woman's own. She got a gun in her face for her efforts, but wrapped her hands around the woman's wrist before she could shoot. "I think I prefer the other version!"

Oh, she never thought that she would be so happy to feel her reiki spark up again, but she gave a loud cheer as the other woman was zapped with a flash of purifying energy.

Blonde hair turned blue. "Oh, gosh!" Launch gasped. "What happened?"

"Both hands on the controls, please!" Kagome yelped, taking the gun and throwing it out into the water as the plane lurched.

"Oh, right!" the other woman squeaked, leveling them out once more.

The priestess breathed a heavy exhale of relief.

"So... what were we doing out here?" the bluenette questioned after a moment.

Kagome blinked for a moment before barking out a laugh. "Just... flying around," she told her with a reassuring grin. "We might want to go back to the island now."

"Ah, I see!" Launch gasped, nodding and quickly readjusting the controls.

She slumped down into her seat, reaching behind her and grabbing her seat belt in order to fasten it around her waist.

"So," the other woman spoke up after a minute. "Kagome... right?"

"Yup," she confirmed, straightening out a bit and readjusting her backpack so that she would be a bit more comfortable. Maybe she should have just asked Goku to look after it for her before taking off like that...

The bluenette's soft words caught her off guard. "What did I end up doing this time?"

She blinked over at her. "I'm... not actually sure if the correct question is 'You know?' or 'You _don't_ know?' right now," she admitted.

Launch heaved a sigh. "I know I change when I sneeze, but I don't know what I do."

The priestess frowned and thought it over for a second. "... I might be able to help you with that," she murmured. "Not right now!" she was quick to add, sensing the other woman's rush of excitement. "But when I'm back up to full strength, I should be able to do something about that for you."

"Oh, would you really?" the woman gushed. "But how?"

She bit her lip. It was a valid question, and the woman did deserve an answer... "I doubt it means anything here," she murmured, "and I haven't actually told anyone this yet, but... I'm a priestess?"

The plane lurched again, and she gave a yelp.

"A-a _priestess_?" Launch stuttered as she leveled the out once more. "B-but priestesses are only legends! Oh, it's really not nice to try and trick someone like that!"

Kagome frowned. "Legends? Ugh, this world just gets more and more confusing."

"... World?" the bluenette repeated slowly.

The priestess groaned. "Look, I was planning on telling Goku this first," she babbled. "I mean he _is_ the one that found me, and I know that I can trust him, but..." She looked out the window and took a deep breath. "Yeah. Certain things happened, and I ended up in this world instead of my own. Nothing makes sense here, and I'm still pretty weak right now from the wi- _trip_ , but I-I really am a priestess."

The woman was quiet for a long moment as they flew. "I believe you," she finally spoke quietly, giving her a warm smile. "And I'm always here to talk if you need it."

She returned the smile with a wry one of her own. "Thanks."

"So when are you planning to tell everyone else about this?" Launch asked as the island came back into sight.

Kagome thought it over for a second. "Soon," she finally decided. "Things should calm down for a bit again now that we have another dragon ball, so I suppose I'll aim for the lull. That would make more sense."

The bluenette nodded in agreement. "Do you still want to tell Goku first?"

The priestess chuckled. "Yeah," she admitted. "But if everyone's there, then everyone's just there I guess."

The other woman giggled as they descended for a landing, the voices of the other four rising up around them and shouting their names. "You two make an awfully cute couple," she teased.

Kagome just snorted and rolled her eyes. "I'm not a pedophile, thanks."

They both got out, and it occurred to the priestess that the shouting actually sounded kind of urgent. She blinked and glanced over at the window. Did Krillin just say 'save us'?

The two went inside, and she felt her stomach knot.

They were all tied up! How could they all be tied up, she and Launch weren't gone for that long!

"You'll never believe what happened," the bluenette smiled. "We got to talking-"

"Hello! Earth to Launch and Kagome! There's a _bomb_!" Bulma shrieked.

"We're gonna die!" Krillin wailed.

"Is this a new game?" the other woman questioned innocently, looking from one person to the next as Kagome rushed into the kitchen to hunt down a knife or some scissors. "Where'd you get the blue rope?"

"Yeah, it's called _stay alive_!" the teen cried.

"Quick!" Roshi instructed. "Grab the box and throw it out of the house!"

"Why is there a clock on the floor?" Launch wondered.

"That's no clock, it's a highly explosive _bomb_!" Bulma screamed.

Overturning at least the third drawer and finding nothing better than a stack of butter knives, Kagome ran back into the other room to see the other woman attempting to lift said bomb off the floor - and failing.

"This house was spick and span when I left, and I don't appreciate things being left out!" the clueless bluenette scolded the group.

"Where do you even keep scissors in this place?!" Kagome growled, falling to her knees and trying to pry the ropes apart for Goku. "Scissors should be in the kitchen! Everyone knows that, dammit! Launch, help me!"

"Sci-what?" the boy questioned uncertainly as Launch set the 'clock' back down to give her a hand.

"This rope is so tight!" the other woman remarked.

"There's this new invention," the old man barked sarcastically. "It's called a _knife_!"

"Yeah, well, you don't have any of those in the kitchen either!" the priestess spat darkly.

"We've got less than a minute to live!" Bulma sobbed. "No pressure!"

The bluenette shot to her feet and ran into the other room, returning with a small blade. "This knife's a bit dull," she apologized as Kagome moved over and let her take her previous spot behind Goku, "but it's all I've got!"

"Faster!" the boy requested almost hysterically.

"We've only got ten seconds!" Krillin wailed.

Gritting her teeth, the priestess darted over to the bomb and dropped to her knees above it, raising both of her hands up and trying to collect her reiki for a barrier. She didn't have much, and she had already used a spark of it earlier to calm down Launch, but maybe if it was just for a moment...

"If you could just get my tail loose!" Goku yelped.

The others started to scream, the hand continued to click further and further towards the detonation, and Kagome felt sick.

"Please, please, please!" she murmured desperately, drawing further into herself. "I don't care if it adds another month to my recovery, you only need to last for a couple of seconds! Come on, come on!"

There was a snap, and Goku gasped out a 'thank you!', but she barely heard them. Her energy finally flooded from her hands, encasing the explosive in a shimmering - silver?

Wait, since when was her reiki _silver_?

She was so stunned by the change in color that the shield fell as quickly as it had risen, and Goku swept in to grab it and fling it out the window as hard as he could. The explosion came not even two seconds later, and they all breathed a sigh of relief as Goku laughed and leapt out the window with a call for Nimbus.

"Where are you going?" Krillin shouted after him.

"Be careful!" Turtle yelled.

"Don't worry!" the boy called over his shoulder. "I'm going to get the dragon balls back!"

"Go catch that crook, Goku!" the old man instructed. "Make Roshi proud!"

"I don't get it," Bulma spoke up as he took off. "Why didn't Kagome just throw it?"

"Hey, that's actually a good question," Krillin agreed. "Kagome? Hello! Earth to Kagome!"

"Did she hit her head or something?" the blue-haired teen groaned.

The priestess just stared down at her fingers numbly, not processing anything else going on around her as she curled and uncurled them. "What the _hell_?" she whispered to herself.

xxxx

A/N: Yay! So Kagome's kicking ass, starting to get her powers back, and - they're a different color? Muwahahaha! Hope everyone liked the new chapter!

Edit: 7/02/16


	12. Chapter 12

Goku sped after General Blue quickly, determined to get his dragon balls returned. When the soldier sped up, he sped up - same for going left, or going right. He chased the guy doggedly, even when they crossed the ocean and kept going further still.

"Give me my dragon balls!" he demanded loudly.

Even when the colors started going all funny and back again, he kept following.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight!" the boy growled, pushing closer and closer until he finally drew up alongside the plane. He grinned and reached for his Power Pole. "Caught you!" he laughed. "So, are you ready to give up now?"

The soldier didn't even turn to look at him, just slammed down on his dashboard.

"Alright," Goku announced, "you asked for it! Power Pole, extend!"

With the staff longer, he swung it down to smack the plane right out of the sky - but it swerved out of the way at the last second, and he hurried to turn his cloud around.

Suddenly, the plane's rocket went out and abruptly slowed down.

The boy blinked at it uncertainly for a moment, slowly getting closer. "Maybe he's finally giving up?" he wondered aloud.

Just as fast as the engine had cut off, it flared to life and knocked him off of Nimbus.

He let out a scream as he plummeted, watching with wide eyes as the plane crashed into the side of a cliff.

He snickered to himself. "Bad man, but great fireworks!"

Seeing the ground fast approaching, he quickly spun himself around and landed feet first instead of right on his head. The boy looked up, meeting eyes with a girl(?) and two weird birds fluttering just above her head.

There was a beat of silence.

"Hi!" the kid greeted brightly, the birds immediately echoing the cry.

He blinked. "... Huh? O-oh, hi!"

"Hello," the purple-haired girl chirped again. At least, he thought it was a girl. She had a weird face. "What's your name?"

"I'm called Goku," he introduced himself.

"My name is Arale," she grinned in reply, turning to point to the little winged things. "And this is Gatchin, one and two!"

He leaned forward and studied them. "Wow, what strange little birds..."

"Would you like to come play with us for a while?" the girl offered.

He turned his attention back to her. "That sounds like a lot of fun, but I can't right now. I have to find the dragon balls," he explained.

"Oh," she blinked. "And what is a dragon balls?"

The boy turned his attention back to the sky. "Hey, Nimbus cloud! Hurry back!" he called, rushing to jump onto it the moment that it was close enough to pick him up. Sending it over in the same direction as the General had gone down, he looked around. "I could have sworn he crashed somewhere around this mountain..." Spotting the smoke, he gave a quiet sigh of relief and started to descend. "There it is - but it doesn't look like there's much left of the plane. I hope the dragon balls are safe."

He landed and started going through the rubble.

"No," he murmured to himself, tossing parts this way and that. "That's not it. This is really strange! There's no sign of the balls anywhere, not a single one! Or the bag! Everything's gone, including the bad man!" He sat back and stood, feeling frustrated. "He must have gotten away and taken the dragon balls with him! Grr... I know you're around here somewhere!"

The sound of... cheering? Drew his attention away from his anger, and he looked over to see the same kid from earlier running straight for him with the birds right behind her. They skidded to a halt in front of him and he drew back a bit, blinking.

"Gee, you guys are really fast," he complimented. "Did you _run_ all the way here?"

The girl nodded. "Yes!"

He reeled. "Incredible! You're as fast as my Nimbus cloud, maybe even faster! Who did you train with?"

She tilted her head to one side. "No one," she admitted. "I just like to run! It's fun!" Then she leaned in slightly, meeting his eyes. "You know, you don't need all this junk. We have a playground."

He chuckled. "I'm not here to play, I'm looking for a bad man! He took my dragon balls."

"That's horrible!" the girl gasped.

Goku turned back up to the sky once more. "Flying Nimbus!" Again, he jumped on as soon as the cloud came to a stop.

"I'd be happy to help you look for your balls if you need a hand," the girl offered.

He blinked down at her. "Really? You wouldn't mind doing that for me?"

"Sure!" she nodded. "Would you mind giving me a ride on your cloud?"

"Yeah, no problem," he agreed. "... if it lets you."

He could have been wrong, but something told him that Nimbus had somehow gotten even pickier after they had met Kagome. It was just a feeling he got.

The girl hopped on with no problem, giving a bright laugh. The birds followed.

He smiled. "Wow, you guys have definitely been good," he declared.

"Of course!" she agreed. "Let's go!"

"You heard her!" he told the cloud, turning his attention back forward. "Let's go! Fly!"

They took off, the girl's hat blowing away in the wind.

"So is this fun or what?" he grinned, glancing back at his new passengers.

"Yes!" she agreed, all of them laughing and cheering as the Nimbus did tricks in the air.

Goku was actually a little relieved to know that, even pickier, his cloud was still happy to have fun with anyone who could ride it.

They flew on for a while longer, finally leveling out after a couple of minutes.

"Hey, look!" his new friend called. "There's Akana and Taro!"

He glanced down, seeing a couple of people on the road below. "Who?"

Nimbus landed quickly, allowing them to investigate.

"Hi, Arale," one of the people sighed.

"Hi!" the girl responded brightly.

"And who's this?" the person wondered, looking up at him. "I don't believe I've ever seen you before."

"He's just visiting," Arale explained. "His name is Goku!"

"Hello," the boy greeted. "Nice to meet you."

"Is he a friend of yours?" the other person asked the girl curiously.

"Yes!" she chirruped. "We've been having lots of fun!" She glanced back at him with a smile. "Haven't we, Goku?"

"Yeah, you bet," he agreed.

"Ah, you were flyin' pretty fast," the one with sunglasses spoke. "Do you have a permit for that cloud?"

"Akana here has the coolest scooter in town," Arale announced, pointing to the other.

"My ride is nothing compared to this beauty," the one with the ponytail spoke. "What do you call it?"

He'd been trying to be able to determine gender better lately. Kagome had told him that girls usually had higher voices and were smaller, and boys usually had lower voices and were bigger, but that it wasn't always the case. Still, he was _pretty_ sure this one was a girl, just like he was guessing the same of his new friend. Both were smaller and had higher voices, right?

He wished Kagome was there. She would have told him for sure.

"It's called the Flying Nimbus," he said, answering the question.

"It's neat-o, it even does tricks and stuff!" Arale grinned. "You should try it!"

"Would you mind?" Ponytail asked. "I've never sat on a cloud before!"

"Sure," he agreed. "But you should probably be careful-" he cut himself off as she(?) fell right through. "Never mind."

"Oww," Ponytail groaned. "What did I do wrong?"

He poked his head through the cloud. "I don't know, but it must've been bad!" he grinned unapologetically.

" _What_?!" she(?) growled.

"Only people with clean minds and hearts can ride aboard the Nimbus cloud," he stated.

Ponytail cringed, and the other person started laughing as she(?) stood back up.

"What are you laughing at?!" Ponytail glowered at Sunglasses. "You think this is funny?!"

"You're _busted_!" he(?) (again, deeper voice... right?) snickered.

"Oh, yeah?" the other glared. "Then why don't _you_ try it?"

Sunglasses stopped laughing right away and went stiff, but quickly made a determined face. "My pleasure!"

Again, Nimbus didn't even stay solid for a second.

The girl(?) burst into laughter. "Looks like your star's a little tarnished, Taro! I thought you were supposed to be perfect."

"But I'm the police!" Sunglasses whined.

"So a policeman is someone who goes and and tries to catch the bad people?" Goku asked, remembering some of the things Kagome had told him after they'd met Mr. Police in West City when they were looking for Bulma.

"That's our job, son," the man(?) confirmed.

"I'm looking for a bad person, too," he confided. "Maybe you've seen him!"

"Who?" Sunglasses asked excitedly. "Is it someone dangerous? Like a bank robber?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But he's a member of the Red Ribbon Army!"

Sunglasses started freaking out. "Did you say Red Ribbon Army? The Red Ribbon Army is here in Penguin Village?!"

Goku blinked. "Yeah."

He(?) screamed and ran into the car, taking off quickly.

"What was all that about?" Ponytail wondered.

"Taro?" Arale chimed in curiously.

They shook the incident off pretty fast and were back up in the sky in no time.

"This is strange," Goku sighed as they flew on, still looking for General Blue. "It's almost as if he disappeared into thin air!"

"Oh, look!" the girl spoke up. "There's Taro!"

The boy glanced down, seeing the same Sunglasses from earlier next to the broken up pieces of... a car? They flew down, and Arale and her birds hopped off.

"Hey, Taro, are you okay?" she questioned worriedly. "What happened?"

"It was so terrible," Sunglasses murmured, eyes distant. "We tried to apprehend him, but he's... unstoppable!"

"So I was right!" Goku announced. "The bad man is still alive! Which way did he go?"

Sunglasses pointed down the road. "Straight. Just follow the sirens."

"Thanks for your help, policeman!" he called over his shoulder as he swerved around and took off after the soldier.

It was frustrating that he couldn't find him, though. Again.

"Okay, you," he grumbled, keeping an eye out. "I know you're around here somewhere!"

He went around everywhere, asking anyone he could find if they had seen the general - but no matter where he got or who he asked, he received the same answer.

Finally, he met back up with Arale and the Gatchins.

"Any luck finding that bad man?" she questioned.

"Not yet," Goku sighed. "If I only had a way to find him... Hey, wait! I do have something here I can use!" He grinned and reached into his shirt, pulling out the dragon radar. "Bulma built this to find the dragon balls, and if he still has mine... then wherever they are, that's where he is too!" He pressed on the button a few times, beginning to get worried when it didn't light up like it was supposed to. "Oh no. It's broken again! I guess I'll have to take it back home and ask Bulma to repair it..."

He paused and glanced up, looking around for a moment before turning to his newest friend with a question.

"By the way, do you know where we are?"

She smiled. "No, but it's pretty!"

"Not here," he specified, "this whole place! I was chasing that Red Ribbon guy so fast that I didn't look where I was going. Do you have any idea how I can get back to Master Roshi's island?"

The girl blinked at him. "No, I sure don't," she admitted.

He groaned. "Oh, no... How can I get the radar fixed if I can't get home!"

"Are you sure it's broken?" she asked.

Goku turned his attention back to her face and sighed again. "Yes."

She grinned. "Then that means a doctor can fix it!" she declared.

His eyes widened, an eager grin stretching his lips. "Really?! Great! Do you know where one lives?"

"Yep!" she confirmed, her birds echoing the affirmation.

They got there quickly enough, and Nimbus took off the moment they were both on the ground. He wasn't really sure where it was going in such a hurry, but he knew that it would come back when he needed it.

"There he is!" Arale pointed towards a pair of people. "He's the doctor."

He nodded in understanding and ran up to the taller one - Kagome said that the bigger people were usually the guys. "Hey, there!" he greeted. "I mean, hello. How are you?"

"Fine," the blonde responded pleasantly. "And you?"

"Goku, over there," the purple-haired girl murmured to him, pointing towards the shorter of the pair.

He tilted his head and looked over. "Are you his wife?"

It turned out that he was wrong; the taller one was the wife, and the shorter one was the husband. This was why he needed Kagome with him, he had no idea how these sorts of things were supposed to work.

"Sir," Arale requested, "we were hoping that you could repair this."

The boy quickly handed over the radar.

"Okay," the man blinked down at it. "Your watch?"

"No, sir," he explained. "It's a dragon radar."

"Dragon radar?" the doctor repeated, sounding surprised.

"You hunt dragons with this thing?" the woman questioned, stunned.

"Dragon _balls_ ," he corrected. "There are seven in all, and the radar helps me find them."

"That's fine," the man sighed. "But I need to know how it works. What makes it tick?"

"I believe it works by detecting unique energy signatures emitted by certain objects," the floating baby spoke up.

"Oh, yeah," the doctor nodded, seeming just a bit overwhelmed. "Well first I'll need to get inside the machine and make a diagnostic appraisal," he announced, taking it over to a small table nearby to unscrew the back. "Its construction looks simple enough... What in the world is that?!" he yelped the moment it was open. "I've never seen anything like this before, look at all the colors! It's really high-tech, look at the size of the thing!"

"A girl named Bulma made it," Goku grinned, happy to boast about his friend.

The man looked defeated. "Girl? You say a little girl made this complex machine?" he squawked. "That's impossible!"

The others all gaped down at the innards of the device curiously.

The boy just blinked. What was so strange about it?

xxxx

Kagome sat out on the beach of Roshi's island, deep in thought. She had retreated after the noise inside had gotten to be too much, though she was somewhat grateful that no one had seen the bit of reiki that she'd managed to squeeze out earlier.

Something had changed inside of her, and it was more than just replenishing her energy faster than she would have predicted. She needed to find out what it was about this world that was not only different, but making _her_ the same way. Because she could feel it flowing through her very veins, now that she was aware enough to look for it.

She narrowed her eyes down at her hands and called up another slow flare of energy, her fingertips glowing silver in response. Now that she was actually using it, calling it up and letting it pulse through her, it was getting stronger.

Realistically speaking, she should have still had at least a week to go before being fully recovered. With that little foray in the North, that should have become closer to two or three. At the current rate she could sense her reserves rushing to fill back up, it might be closer to two or three _days_.

 _Maximum_.

The priestess let out a steadying exhale, trying to find her center. She closed her eyes, giving her inner reservoirs a more thorough check as she slipped into a lightly meditative state. If this new change had effected the jewel...

She sucked in a gasp, almost choking on it as she flinched back in disbelief.

It... was restrained. It was _restrained_? She was actually _restraining_ the damn thing?! It had always been a fight to keep it leashed, much less tied down, and yet...!

A distant tug at her awareness had her cautiously expanding the search to the outside, and her heart leapt when Reikenkon's subtle energies rose up to meet her own. Her sword was there. Sesshoumaru really had found some way to send her bag through that stupid well!

It was all she could do not to jump up and start cheering.

A different rush of energy caught her attention, soft and gold and barreling right for her. Her eyes snapped back open and she leapt to her feet only to be greeted by the sight of the Nimbus hovering in the air just before her, quivering impatiently - and since when had she been able to sense its emotions? She knew that this wasn't the first time, but it was the first time that she was actually making a note of it - and it occurred to her.

She groaned and slapped her forehead tiredly. "Where's Goku?"

It shook, swishing from side to side and staying low enough for her to easily board it - and she knew that was exactly what it was after.

Kagome glanced over her shoulder towards the house, hearing the others continuing to talk among themselves and seeming to have forgotten all about her anyway, and she gave a quiet sigh as she turned back to the cloud.

"Alright," she agreed, stepping forward and settling down into the fluff. "Take me to our boy, then."

It shuddered in relieved amusement and shot back into the air.

xxxx

"Do you think you can fix it, Senbei?" Goku wondered, watching the man tinker with his radar. He hoped that it would be working again soon. He needed to find the dragon balls and get back to Master Roshi's before everyone started to worry.

"Fix it?" the woman repeated with a light laugh. "He'll make it as good as new! Senbei is an electronics genius."

At his wife's praise, the man seemed to change in an instant - literally, it was like he was a completely different person! "There's nothing to worry about, my boy," he assured. "Senbei Nuramaki put the 'possible' in impossible!"

Goku reeled back, his eyes wide. How did he _do_ that?

The man turned back to normal just as fast and went back to tinkering.

After a few minutes, the blonde woman led the boy, girl and birds over to another table nearby with a giant umbrella on top keeping it in the shade.

"Goku, please tell me more about the dragon balls!" Arale requested excitedly.

He smiled. "There are seven magic balls," he described, raising his hands to show how big they were, "like this. They have great power, and if you collect all of them you can ask for one wish to come true!"

The girl and the birds both gasped and cheered in awe as he explained more.

"Hey, kids," the woman spoke up as she came back from the house with a tray in her arms. "Hungry? Here's some snacks to tide you over!"

The boy stared at the tray curiously as the others gave another cheer.

"Here you go, Arale," she spoke, placing something in front of the girl, "Gatchins, this is yours," she continued, presenting them with something else. Finally, she turned to him with a pleasant smile. "Goku, I made some fresh-baked cookies. Have as many as you want!"

He stared down at the plate she handed him, getting excited. So many cookies, and they smelled so good! "Ah! Thank you!" He finally glanced over at what the girl and the birds had gotten, and felt his jaw drop. A... baby bottle? A bowl full of metal scraps? Still, the Gatchins tucked right into their nuts and bolts and Arale started sucking away, so...

He wished that Kagome were here to tell him if this was normal or not. Feeling a bit out of his depth, he picked up a cookie and munched down on it.

The girl was quick to tell the woman all about what he'd told her earlier as they ate.

"What an incredible story!" the blonde declared brightly, clasping her hands together in front of her face. "I had no idea such power even existed. It's just so fabulous! Tell me, Arale - if you had the dragon balls, what would you wish for?"

The purple-haired girl grinned. "I'd ask for a pony, a sugarplum tree, a rainbow that never ends, and a flower that changes color everyday!" she exclaimed, counting them off. "Oh, and-"

"Arale," he interrupted. "Don't you remember? I told you the dragon balls will only give you one wish..."

She blinked at him for a moment. "How come?"

He shrugged "I don't know. I guess that's just the way they were made."

"I'm finished!" the doctor finally called out, drawing their attention.

Goku perked up. "Really? Super!"

They got up and rushed over to see the fruits of the man's labor.

"Wow," the girl gasped. "You did it, Senbei! It's fixed!"

"For you!" the man chuckled, handing the radar back over to the boy.

"Uwah!" Goku grinned, fiddling around with it a bit. "Nice." He pushed down on the button, a wave of relief rushing over him when the lights came on just like they were supposed to. "It's working again!" he beamed. "It's great, Senbei. Thanks!"

Arale and the Gatchins once again cheered.

"A-hah!" the man laughed loudly. "Senbei, you are a genius!" he praised himself.

"What's this?" the boy wondered, staring down at the screen.

"What's the matter?" the woman questioned worriedly.

Senbei deflated in an instant.

"The radar shows there's a dragon ball nearby," Goku explained, glancing around and beginning to walk off towards where it was showing up on the map.

Arale, right behind him, gasped after a couple of seconds. "Look, I found one!"

He looked over to see her hands clasped together. She parted them to show a small orb in the palm of her hand.

"Surprise!" she grinned.

"No," he shook his head. "Dragon balls are bigger."

"Oh, really?" she mumbled disappointedly.

"This way," the boy announced, walking around the side of the house.

She hurried to keep up with him.

"It's somewhere over here," he stated, slowing down a bit and running his eyes over their surroundings. "... I think," he frowned, adjusting the button a couple more times. "It shows the dragon ball _should_ be near here."

They entered the house to continue the search.

"Almost there," Goku hummed, walking a bit further and opening one of the doors. He blinked. "Wow. That looks just like Master Roshi's favorite chair!" He was pretty sure that Kagome had called that a toilet before, actually. "There's no sign of a dragon ball _in_ here," he sighed heavily. "Let's keep looking."

He shut the door and they continued walking.

"Let's try down here," the boy suggested, gaze glued to the screen. "... Whoa! Wait a minute!" he jolted, turning them back around. "Down here." The radar led them into the kitchen, and he peeked under the table just in case. "The signal is really strong in here... Maybe it's in this box?" he wondered, walking up to - hadn't Kagome called it a refrigerator before? He was pretty sure that Master Roshi, Launch, and Krillin all had at some point, too.

He opened it quickly, saw a man, closed it - wait. He hurried to open it back up, letting out a yelp when General Blue fell onto the tiles with a shout.

xxxx

Kagome was starting to get impatient. Just how long had they been going at top speed already? Half an hour? Maybe more?

Finally, Nimbus started to slow down and she sat back up, looking around below.

"There he is," she sighed, relieved - only to immediately take back the sentiment. "Oh, what has that little twerp gotten into now?" she groaned.

He was there with a small group of people, one of which was General Blue and another of which was a little girl who said General was holding hostage at knifepoint. Moreover, from the way that the boy was shaking, she was going to go out on a limb and guess that the stupid blond had gone and used that eye trick on him.

And just, as a side-thought, why was that baby floating and what the hell was up with the freaky little cherub-looking things?

She saw Blue snatch the radar and slip it into his pocket.

"T-that's mine!" Goku stuttered. "Give it back to me!"

"Down, Nimbus," she murmured, flattening out across the fluff and glaring daggers at the jerk. "Slow and quiet, okay? Keep us out of sight for as long as you can."

With a slight shudder of agreement, the cloud began to do descend.

"Excuse me," the man spoke up, "but that really does belong to the boy."

Blondie laughed. "You've been very passive thus-far," he sneered. "Do yourself a favor and don't mess it up now." He turned and began walking towards the nearby plane. "Oh, I'm in a hurry, so I'd better fly!"

"No problem, sir, but..." the man spoke uncertainly, "I haven't finished the instruments yet..."

"Hm," Blue paused. "Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?" He turned, eyes landing on Goku, and he gave a sadistic grin. "Oh, that's right - how silly of me! I almost forgot the most important thing of all..." He began stalking towards the motionless boy, a chuckle bubbling from his throat. "I can't go away... without a goodbye _fist_!" he shouted, reeling back an arm and swinging.

"Oh, hell no!" she snarled, jumping from the cloud and plummeting about ten or twenty feet to plant her feet in the soldier's back.

He gave a shrill scream and scurried back, holding his jaw with a horrified expression.

The priestess glowered at him, keeping her gaze just off to the side of his face, and took up a defensive stance in front of Goku. After all that time being protected by him, it felt nice to finally be able to return the favor.

"Kagome!" the boy shouted, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Thank Nimbus," she huffed shortly. "I _know_ I've said something about that bad habit of running off without me."

"H-heh," he laughed awkwardly. "... Sorry."

Blue snarled, taking another step back towards the plane. "So, your little girlfriend shows up to save you yet again?" he mocked.

The priestess scowled. " _Why_ does everyone keep assuming I'm a pedophile?"

"One has to actually be significantly older than their partner for that term to even apply," the man sneered cruelly.

She very nearly burst out that she was old enough to drink, dammit, but refrained.

Somehow.

"Big words from the guy who's obviously had work done," she snorted. "Trying to cling to the last of youth while you still can, are we?"

Okay, so maybe she wasn't above petty revenge. Sue her.

The soldier's eyes widened with indignant wrath and he darted over to a tree, slicing it down with the swipe of a hand and turning it on her like a weapon. "You'll rue the day you crossed me, little girl!" he growled.

She glared. "You really think all it's going to take is better range, asshole?"

"Arale, quick, it's playtime honey!" the man that had been defending Goku earlier yelped, pointing at the blond. "Go show the bad man how you play tag!"

"Yay!" the purple-haired little girl cheered, bouncing excitedly. "Tag!"

Kagome fell right out of her fighting stance when she glanced over to see that same little girl charging the soldier at full speed, flying up into the air and delivering a heavy kick to his chest that sent him flying.

"Yeah!" the girl laughed proudly, watching her victim turn into a dot on the horizon. "That was a good one!"

The others also laughed, and the priestess wondered if there was such a thing as demon blood in this dimension after all. If so, that was one child who had inherited more than just a decent little helping of it.

She quickly ran off in the same direction as she'd kicked the blond, and Kagome shook her head in wry amazement as the man chuckled.

"I guess he didn't need the plane after all!" he announced jokingly.

Goku let out a strained little grunt and she turned around, about to release him from the paralyses, when the floating baby beat her to it.

The boy glanced down at himself. "Hey, look! I can move again!" he announced happily, bouncing up and down a couple of times to illustrate his point further.

The priestess gave a low sigh, stepping back out of the way and watching from the side.

Maybe Nimbus had been overreacting when it came and got her. It seemed to her as if everything would have gone just fine without her interference.

"I'm here!" the little purple-haired girl laughed loudly as she rejoined them, her attention solely on Goku as she skidded to a stop. Really, this kid was just a lady-magnet, wasn't he? "Oh good, you're well again!" she beamed.

"Where is he?" the boy questioned worriedly.

The girl shrugged, still grinning. "I don't know. He hasn't come down yet, silly!"

Goku gaped and glanced off in the direction that the soldier had disappeared in. "He's still up in the sky?"

"I sure hope he took a snack," the man wisecracked.

The boy turned his attention back down to the purple-haired girl. "You're one of the strongest people I ever met!" he announced, awed.

She just laughed. "Thank you, but I'm nothing compared to the Gatchins!"

The little cherub-things cheered and, as if to prove her point, the freaky antennas they had on their heads lit up and they fried the felled tree left behind thanks to the general.

Kagome really, _really_ needed to find out what the hell was up with this world.

"Whoa!" Goku gawked. "That's incredible!"

The 'Gatchins' let out another cheer of thanks and pumped their arms.

"Oh and that was nothing, trust me," the girl chimed in. "They must be tired; you should catch them on a good day!"

The boy's mind looked sufficiently blown. "Uwah... I thought _I_ was strong," he mumbled. "I never knew there was so much I can't do! I guess I need to start training harder..." He looked up, expression changing. "Hey! I almost forgot about the dragon balls!"

The priestess smiled a bit as he ran over to the plane, jumping up and retrieving Bulma's bag from the cockpit.

"Here they are!" he declared happily. "Perfect."

Of course, it was about then that he realized that Blue still had their radar on him when he went for his little trip and started freaking out.

"How am I gonna find him again?" he grumbled to himself with a scowl as he hopped back onto the ground. "I never should have let him take it!" He came up to the small group and frowned. "That guy still has the radar," he explained, "and without it, we can't get back home! We're stuck here."

Kagome chuckled. "What, not going to say we'll walk it?"

He stuck his tongue out at her.

The floating baby gave him a reassuring smile. "Aw, don't be sad; I can make you a new one if you want."

The boy gaped. "You... you can? But how?"

The baby glanced to the man. "Papa, can I please take a few parts off your airplane?"

The man blinked. "Sure, son," he agreed rather easily. "Are you sure you can even make a dragon radar?"

"I saw the one you fixed," the baby assured, raising his hands and turning back to the plane. "Aha!" he giggled, several panels coming off of the plane and flying through the air with a whole slew of smaller innards.

"That's a little more than a few parts, son," the man spoke again with a sigh.

The two children just awed over the spectacle together, the girl laughing and Goku giving an excited "How does he _do_ that?" Kagome admitted that it was impressive, but... well, she had lost a lot of things in the Feudal Era; that ability to just see something and marvel at it was, sadly, one of them. She was too busy trying to analyze whether it could be a threat or not.

Even sadder was the fact that not all of that had come from Sesshoumaru's training.

The radar seemed to assemble itself in midair, and the baby floated down to hand it over to the boy with a bright "Here!"

Goku stared down at it and pressed the button, the familiar beep confirming its efficacy.

He laughed and tinkered with it a little more. "It's working! Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," the baby smiled.

The man chuckled loudly. "That's my boy, alright - a genius, just like his old man!"

The boy took a step back, still grinning widely, and glanced up. "Flying Nimbus!" he called out. The cloud swooped down, coming to a stop before him, and he turned his attention back to the others. "Thanks for everything you've done for me!" Quickly, he crouched down just a bit to meet the purple-haired girl's eyes. "You should think about joining the Martial Arts Tournament next year. You'd be great!"

She just blinked up at him. "Huh?"

Goku hopped up on the cloud, an eager grin stretching his lips, and the priestess settled on behind him knowing that he was already itching to be on their way. "It was nice sort of meeting you all?" she offered the group wryly.

"Nice meeting you!" the little girl echoed, together with the 'Gatchins'.

The blonde woman giggled. "Perhaps we'll have a better introduction the next time the two of you stop by Penguin Village."

She nodded in agreement and waved as the cloud took off.

"So," she spoke after a while, "how do you feel about a little detour on the way?"

The boy blinked up at her curiously. "Huh?"

xxxx

"So... what are we searching for again?" Goku asked, staring over the side of Nimbus as they hovered over a wide, green canyon. "There aren't any dragon balls around here."

"Nope," Kagome agreed, also looking intently. "We're trying to find a yellow backpack."

"Why?" he wondered.

She sighed a bit. "Because it's mine."

"How can it be yours, though?" he pressed curiously.

" _Because_ ," she shot him a look, "my brother somehow found a way to send it across the rift for me. I sensed my sword when I was meditating earlier, right before Nimbus came and got me."

"You actually sensed your sword?" he gaped. "How'd you do that?"

The girl shook her head and continued searching. "You know what? Help me find that backpack and I'll tell you everything. It's a bright color, we should find it easily."

He immediately perked up. "Everything, everything?"

"Yes, Goku, _everything_ ," she allowed, actually sounding a little amused. "I suppose it's about time you found out what you got yourself into when you picked me up three weeks ago, but I really do need that bag. Especially before someone else stumbles across it."

The boy nodded and also returned to looking in earnest. She was actually going to tell him! About everything!

"Ah!" she suddenly shouted eagerly, pointing at the ground. "Down there, Nimbus!"

They dove, and Goku saw exactly what she had been talking about - that backpack was _really_ yellow. She leapt off the cloud the moment they were close, surprising him. Usually _he_ was the one that got too excited and jumped from Nimbus before it even stopped, and _she_ was the one keeping her cool and scolding him for it.

"Yes, yes, yes!" the girl cheered, laughing brightly and picking the bag up, hugging it to her chest tightly and bouncing in place. " _Thank_ you, Sesshoumaru!"

Goku smiled. He liked this side of her; it didn't seem so sad or forced.

Kagome grinned back at him, plopping down on a log and dropping the backpack in front of her knees as she unzipped it. She tore into the contents with a happy squeal. "Oh, a couple changes of clothes! Yes!"

The hopped down and joined her. "What all did you get?" he chuckled.

"A fighting kimono, another pair of haori and hakama... Oh gods, there's even a formal kimono in here!" she babbled away, shifting her hands through the inside of the bag until she reached what she was apparently looking for. The girl gave a heavy, relieved sigh and pulled out a sword almost reverently. "And Reikenkon, of course."

"Wow," he gaped. "That's a lot nicer than Yamcha's sword!"

He nearly jumped out of his skin when the blade rattled in her hands, and she laughed at him good-naturedly.

"That means 'thank you'," she translated wryly, holding it up to show him better. "Goku, meet Reikenkon. Rei, this is my new friend Goku. We're going to be traveling with him and Nimbus over there from now on."

The boy hesitated a moment before reaching out, poking the dark sheathe cautiously. "Hello...?" he tried. It rattled again and he immediately snatched his hand back.

His companion barked out another laugh. "Play nice, you two!"

"What kind of sword _is_ it, Kagome?" he wondered, running a finger curiously along the pink silk wrapped around the hilt. "I've never seen a sword that shook on its own like this before. Are all weapons like this where you come from?"

She shook her head in amusement. "Nope..." she leaned down slightly and met his eyes with a mischievous quirk of her lips. "Only the demon ones."

He gawked at her.

The girl giggled. "Have you ever heard of priestesses, Goku?"

He tilted his head to one side. "You mean the ladies in some of Master Roshi's stories? He said they don't really exist."

She blinked. "Oh, well I guess that explains why Launch knew what they were..."

The boy's brow furrowed. "Huh?"

Kagome propped an elbow on her knee, the sword held tight against her chest as she held his gaze. "They do exist. At least, they do where I come from. I'm one of them."

He gasped, eyes going wide, and grinned. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah," she nodded.

"What about demons? And ghosts? Have you seen one? Oooh, what about-"

"Yes, yes, calm down," the girl chuckled. "Actually, I've been meaning to ask... those guys that came through with me - the ones out in the desert. What really happened to them after I passed out?"

He blinked at her. "I beat them up and they ran away," he admitted. "Why?"

She sighed. "Because those three are demons, and not some of the nice ones."

There was a slight stretch of silence, and he slumped. "I thought demons would be a lot tougher than that..." he pouted.

"Oh, some of the good ones could slaughter that group in about two seconds," Kagome assured with a snort. "The only reason they managed to get the drop on me was because they had an army and I was all by myself outside the West."

He settled a bit more comfortably on their log. "Tell me about it?" he requested.

She gave him a warm smile. "Which part?"

The boy thought it over for a second before shooting her a grin. "All of it!"

Kagome laughed brightly. "Alright, so Bulma was sort of right; my brother _did_ adopt me into a noble family. It all started when I turned fifteen..."

He ate up everything, happy that he had waited until she was ready to talk.

It really did make a world of difference.

xxxx

A/N: Alright, loooooong chapter today! And so this wraps up the General Blue Saga, and heralds in the time where Kagome can finally slip into being more of a concrete partner than (let's face it) rather useful baggage. Commander Red Saga, comin' right up!

Edit: 7/02/16


	13. Chapter 13

Kagome felt a lot better now that Goku knew more about her. They had even swapped a few stories back and forth, her telling him about her family before her mom's accident and the eventual sealing of the well, and him telling her about his grandpa in return. She was still a bit too nervous to bring him in on the Shikon and her connection to it, though, despite knowing that it wouldn't actually bother him.

How was she even supposed to go about that? 'Oh, and by the way, I'm also sort of kind of immortal and can grant wishes'? Not really an easy thing to explain. By that same reasoning, she had kept from asking about his race.

"So," she spoke up as they traveled. It had already been a few days since they had left Penguin Village, and she was beyond relieved to have her reiki back. "How much farther?"

"Almost there," he sighed. "Maybe this next one will finally be my grandpa's dragon ball."

She smiled at him. "Well, our chances do get better with each one we collect."

The boy grinned and let out a laugh. "Yeah, that's true!"

They flew on for a good while, filling the silence with relaxed chatter as they went. That was one thing that she always did appreciate about Goku: he never truly let things get awkward or uncomfortable.

"We should be getting close to it now," the boy spoke up after a bit longer.

"That's good," she chuckled. "I thought we might have to break for another snack before we got there."

His stomach growled and he chuckled sheepishly.

She just laughed and pulled a few pears that they had collected earlier from her bag, handing them over to him with a teasing grin. It occurred to her that she really was feeling more like herself now than she had in years, and she randomly mussed up her companion's hair (as much as it _could_ be mussed, considering its permanent state of disarray) in a show of thanks for all the things he had done for her.

He let out a slight yelp. "Wha'?" he questioned uncertainly around one of his pears. "Di' 'oo wan' one?"

She shook her head and smiled, turning her attention back forwards. "Nah... Hey. Is that an airplane?" she pointed out with a frown. "And what's up with that tower?"

"I don't know," the boy admitted as he finished his last pear. "Let's find out!"

Nimbus sped up at his urging, and they drew up alongside the craft.

"Throw it up here!" the... tiger? demanded.

Yeah, she still wasn't used to this world. But she wasn't sure if she would ever be.

The priestess's eyes narrowed as the tiger glanced up, seeing her and Goku, and his aura colored with panic.

"Hey," her companion spoke. "We've seen a symbol like that before!"

"You're right," Kagome agreed with a slight growl. "Looks like the Red Ribbon Army got here before we do you say we serve them with an eviction?"

"Evi-what?"

"And just who might you be?" the tiger snarled, pulling out a gun and aiming it at them without waiting for a response.

The priestess immediately surrounded them with a barrier as the bullets began to fly, Goku darting right out of the silvery defense to punch the soldier in the face and send him tumbling back to earth. Kagome quickly reached out and grabbed the kid that he had obviously been using as a hostage, catching him before he could fall very far.

Her companion laughed brightly and joined them back on the cloud, the plane slipping into a nosedive without anyone at the wheel and crashing a short distance off.

"Hello!" the boy greeted their new passenger with a bright grin.

The kid just gaped at the two of them dumbly as they descended.

The priestess stared up at the child's father after a few moments, the little boy perched on his shoulder the same way Shippou used to enjoy doing, and reminded herself that there were no bear demons in this world. Though, apparently, there were indians.

"Thank you for saving my son," the giant of a man told them.

"Oh, you know, it was nothing!" Goku assured with a grin. "No trouble at all, really."

Kagome chuckled. "Yeah, you'd probably be surprised just how often we end up doing this kind of thing."

"Thank you," the little boy also chimed in. "You're nice!"

They both smiled, though her friend suddenly gasped. "Y-you have it!" he pointed. "The dragon ball! It's right there! Please, can I see it?"

"Ah, so you were looking for the ball too," the man murmured, handing it over.

"One," Goku counted excitedly, "two, three... and four! The four-star dragon ball! I can't believe we finally found it!"

She grinned at him. "So it's your grandpa's after all?"

He nodded happily, exploding with glee and literally bouncing around in celebration.

"What is this dragon ball and why do so many search for it?" the giant questioned.

The priestess glanced up and met his eyes with a sigh. "That's sort of a long story..."

xxxx

"So, the ball holds special power..." the really tall guy hummed almost to himself after Kagome had given them the general explanation. "Now I understand why the army was so determined to acquire it."

The girl nodded gravely. "They seem willing to do just about whatever it takes to get their hands on all of them."

"But we don't really care about the wishes or anything like that," Goku shrugged, his eyes glued to the ball in his hands and a smile on his face. "We were only looking for this dragon ball because it belonged to my grandpa."

"Ah, good," the man sighed. "You have few wants. That's fortunate."

"Daddy?" the little boy wondered. "What do you mean by that?"

"You see, son," he revealed, "too many desires can drive a person mad."

Kagome cringed and hugged herself a bit. "Very, very true..."

Goku frowned and glanced up at her, worried.

"Anyway," the priestess continued, shaking off whatever was going through her head with no small amount of determination, "I think we were both wondering what that monument over there was for."

"Hm, the tower," the big guy nodded, turning his gaze up to the giant pole. "It is a sacred symbol of my people. To our tribe, it is a very important and honored landmark; we call it the Korin tower. I learned of the legend from my grandfather when I was Upa's age. It is a story that has been told for many generations... but still we wait, after all this time, for the arrival of someone who can pass the test."

"What do you mean?" Goku wondered, completely caught up in the story. "What test?"

"It is said that if any person can climb to the top of this tower unaided, he will find the great noble guardian waiting for him there," the man told him patiently. "The guardian will then give him a cup of cold water to drink, and with that single sip the climber's abilities will increase dramatically."

"Really?" the boy gaped.

"As incredible as it sounds, my people have always believed it to be true," the big guy confirmed with a nod.

Kagome gave him a wry smile. "No more incredible than what we're looking for."

"So if I climbed all the way up there, I'd get a lot stronger - right?" Goku guessed. "Have you ever tried it?"

"Once, when I was young," the man admitted. "But I couldn't make it all the way to the top. Anyway, no one has ever been successful in the attempt."

"But, I heard that a long time ago one person did make it," the little boy argued.

"A compelling story," his father allowed. "But only a myth."

"Take it from a living myth," the priestess chuckled, her own gaze following the length of the tower, "there's no such thing as impossible. Only how far you're willing to go to reach what you want."

"What do you mean?" the man asked.

She shook her head, dismissing the question. "What do you think, Goku?"

"It's so gigantic!" he awed for another moment, before turning his attention back to the big guy and the little boy. "So... why do you live here?"

"Because of the tower," the man spoke, curious eyes still stuck on Kagome. "My family has been guarding it for generations; it is our ancestral duty." Finally, he shifted his gaze back to Goku. "It is my job. I am the protector of the land."

"Oh," the boy blinked in understanding. "I see. Do you think it would be okay if I took my Nimbus to the top?"

"I'm pretty sure the legend said 'unaided'," the priestess pointed out with a sigh.

xxxx

They sat around a small fire some time later, Upa running around grabbing different herbs and leaves to add into the pot as it stewed. He really did remind her of Shippou, what with his eagerness to help and that habit of riding his father's shoulder.

"Wow," Goku awed as the little boy dumped in another armful. "That sure smells good!"

The man pulled out a pair of bowls and filled them both up, handing them to the two of them across the fire wordlessly.

"Thank you," she told him, her companion already blowing on his soup in anticipation.

Bora smiled and nodded. "Have as much as you want."

"Mmm!" Goku practically purred as he downed his bowl, munching away happily. "Thank you!" he exclaimed.

Kagome chuckled and took a sip of her own soup, also enjoying the flavor.

She glanced down at her friend when he paused in his eating, curious. Goku didn't stop eating until he was full or there was no more food left, and he was definitely never full. She followed his gaze, watching their hosts interact. She couldn't help but smile to herself.

They really were a good father and son. Could this be what Goku was so enthralled by? He'd never had a father of his own, she remembered.

She reached down and gave one of his hands a reassuring squeeze, careful not to draw any attention to the two of them. She got the feeling that he would be asking more about this later on, once they were back in the sky. That was something to wonder about, though - they had his grandpa's dragon ball now. Where would the go from here?

The boy squeezed her hand back gratefully, surprising her. She hid another smile in her bowl, their fingers parting as they both returned to the meal.

A long while later, they were back in front of the tower - and the priestess was pretty sure that she was staring at the answer to her previous question. Goku really, _really_ wanted to climb this thing, and she wasn't quite ready to part with him just yet. Where he went, she would most likely be right on his heels.

"This is great," the boy declared, his smile determined. "I'll be better at everything once I go up there!"

"Do not get your hopes up, my young friend," Bora spoke up.

Goku blinked up at him uncomprehendingly. "Huh?"

"It may only be a legend," he was reminded.

He seemed to think it over for a bit. "Well, Kagome's supposed to be a legend too, and she's standing right here. I'm gonna try it."

"What?" Upa questioned, his eyes going wide.

The priestess shook her head. "Don't worry about it," she assured the little boy, very carefully avoiding his father's critical eye. "So, Goku, do you really think we can make it to the top?"

The boy gaped at her. "You're coming with me?"

She shot him a look. "What, you thought you could get rid of me that easily? Of course I'm going with you."

He beamed up at her.

"But you're already strong," Upa pointed out, watching the pair uncertainly.

"But I'm not the strongest," Goku argued. "So there's still a chance!"

"There's always room for improvement," Kagome defended easily.

"Yeah!" the boy nodded in agreement. "It's definitely worth it to be the best."

She frowned at him. "Hey, being the best doesn't matter," she scolded. "Winning, losing, it just distracts you when you look at things like that. If you want to get stronger, want it for the sake of itself. If you want to be the _best_ , then you're always going to be chasing some pinnacle that you may never reach."

He paused and stared up at her uncomprehendingly.

She sighed. "Just... think about it. Okay?"

He nodded slowly in acceptance.

"It will not be an easy task," Bora warned them.

Goku turned his attention up to the man, and Kagome made a mental note to go further in depth about the concept of 'the best' later on. Not even Sesshoumaru had ever managed to reach that point, not after over four hundred years of striving for it. "Have a lot of people tried to climb the tower? Besides you?" the boy wondered.

"Yes," the man nodded. "There are many who have attempted it."

"Oh?" the boy wondered, turning his gaze back up.

"But they have all failed," Bora continued.

"Oh," Goku slumped.

"The tower is much taller than you imagine," the man described. "It takes many days to scale it; those who try often eat their provisions too soon and fall off from weakness and hunger. Those who attempt by plane fare no better. They run out of fuel before they reach the top."

"It's that far away?" the boy gaped.

"Well, I guess I'm holding onto the food," Kagome chuckled teasingly.

He stuck his tongue out at her.

"So you see," Bora continued, shaking his head at them. "Those who defy the rules or who attempt to climb unprepared do not generally get a second chance."

"... Oh," Goku repeated once more, finally taking in the seriousness of the situation.

"What's that, Daddy?" Upa questioned out of nowhere, drawing their attention. He raised a hand and pointed out towards the horizon. "That thing in the sky!"

Goku squinted. "I can see a person on it!"

The priestess frowned and reached out with her senses, eyes going wide and a violent shudder running down her spine when she picked up on the waves and waves of killing intent that was all being directed towards them. Without a thought, she grabbed her companion's arm and dragged him out of the way, barking for Bora and Upa to do the same.

A pillar crashed down right where they had been standing not a second later, the same man that they had spotted from a distance landing on it the moment that the vibrations had stilled with a blank face and arms tucked behind his back militantly.

The priestess shuddered again. "So much darkness..." she choked in a whisper.

"Kagome?" Goku called worriedly, tugging at her wrist.

The newcomer just smiled, the expression not at all pleasant. "Pleased to kill you."

"What are you doing?" Bora growled, holding his spear out at the other man defensively. "You nearly hit us!"

"Well, that's the idea," the newcomer - _enemy_ \- smirked. "I'm a hitman."

"A hitman?" the father repeated cautiously. "Whoever you are, your kind is not welcome in Korin."

"The name is Tao," the assassin stated, dismissing them all as threats. "And I won't be staying long; I've simply come for the boy."

"What?!" Bora demanded.

"But... I don't know you, do I?" Goku spoke up. "Why did you come to see me?"

Kagome reached for the hilt of Reikenkon, gaze sharp as she followed each of this 'Tao's movements. "Not for anything good, that's for damn sure," she murmured.

"Quite right, little girl," the man smirked. "The Red Ribbon Army has sent me here to tie up some loose ends."

Goku snarled and clenched his fists. "Red Ribbon?!"

"Yes," the hitman confirmed. "You're getting in the way of their hunt for the dragon balls, so you must be destroyed."

The boy growled. "Again?! They won't quit!"

"D-Daddy, help him!" Upa yelped. "Please don't let them hurt Goku!"

"Now wait a minute," the guardian glared. "That boy you're threatening saved my son's life; if you've come here looking for a fight, you will have to deal with me first!"

"It's alright," Goku argued. "I think I can handle him."

Bora glanced down at him. "It is my obligation to protect this land from any enemies," he informed bluntly. "Now son, stay back."

Upa let out a relieved breath and did so, moving away. "Okay!"

Tao chuckled. "What a fool. Why would you choose to take the fall?"

The father turned his attention back on the assassin, shifting himself into a firm fighting stance. "Enough talk," he growled.

"Daddy, be careful!" his son called out.

Kagome's hands shook at the amount of darkness swirling around in the hitman's aura, thickening the very air they breathed. This was bad. This guy was more dangerous than any of the opponents they had come across thus far, and she had to admit... just a bit, the pressure of his energy reminded her of Naraku.

"Hm," Tao sighed, seeming bored. "I'll bet you fancy yourself a trained fighter. Let's see if you can handle _this_."

He all but disappeared, reappearing only to grab Bora's spear with a single hand.

"W-what?!" Goku yelped, stunned.

The guardian struggled to move his weapon, but it didn't budge.

"What's the matter?" the hitman mocked. "Is it stuck? That's too bad."

Bora strained even further, but still to no avail.

The assassin sighed. "Let's try something else, shall we?" he offered, releasing the shaft until the only grip he had on the spear at all was between his thumb and forefinger. Again, there was no change.

She was wrong before: this wasn't just bad. This was a very serious problem.

"Hey!" Upa shouted defensively. "My daddy!"

"Still stuck?" Tao smirked. "That's okay, I'll move it for you." He once again wrapped the rest of his hand around the weapon, using it to lift Bora completely off the ground without any sign of exertion. He laughed and threw the man into the air. "Here, have your spear!"

Kagome watched the spear fly through the air, straight for its wielder, and felt her heart go cold in her chest.

"Nimbus!" Goku shouted, rushing up into the sky to do something...

He didn't make it. Bora's limp body fell back to the earth, Upa letting out a broken wail for the father who could no longer hear him. The cloud returned to ground, the boy leaping from it with an enraged snarl.

The priestess stood there numbly, staring at the dead guardian and the sobbing boy laid out over his skewered chest. His energy was disappearing. He was already...

She hadn't known him for long. She had seen death before. Still, it hurt. There was another orphan in the world, and she hadn't stopped it. She had frozen up. She hadn't done _anything_.

"THAT'S IT!" Goku screamed, charging for the assassin.

Her eyes went wide and she immediately unsheathed Reikenkon, rushing in right behind him with only the thought of keeping him safe tumbling through her mind on repeat.

... No matter what.

xxxx

Goku let out a pained shout as he crashed into the tower, every single muscle in his body aching. What was this guy? Why couldn't he land even a single hit?!

"Goku!" Upa shouted worriedly. "Kagome! Be careful!"

He got back to his feet as fast as he could, watching as his friend struggled to fight the hitman despite that she was armed and he wasn't.

"Not bad, little girl," the man commented, swatting away her blade like it was nothing. She was quick to swing it back around, slashing at him from a different angle. "Most opponents fall within seconds of engaging me in close-quarters combat," he continued, dodging the arc of the sword by barely an inch yet somehow still making it look effortless. "Who was your teacher, if you don't mind me - _what_!"

The hitman gave a shout as Reikenkon exploded with silver light, cutting a deep gouge across his chest without actually touching him.

"You little _brat_! You ruined my outfit!" the man snarled.

Kagome just rushed to duck out of the way of a kick, letting out a sharp yelp as it made contact with one of her shoulders. There was a loud crack, and she went flying into one of the nearby trees with enough force to break it.

Tao heaved a sigh and glanced down at himself, tugging at one of his sleeves as he took in the damage. "I suppose it can still be salvaged..."

Goku rushed back into the fight, his anger growing even further. He aimed a series of low kicks at the hitman's feet, trying to knock him down, but the man stepped out of the way of each one. Giving up on that tactic, he hit his belly and tried using his _hands_ to try and sweep the man's legs out from under him, flipping back up and integrating it with more kicks. Still, not a single one went through, and it was all he could do to avoid the knee that flew at his face after a few more seconds of keeping up the onslaught.

He darted back, giving a short yell of fear when he realized that he hadn't gone nearly far enough before his foot was stepped on, pinning him in place. He strained to free himself, finally swinging a punch at the assassin - that was caught without any problem. He tried again with his other fist, but that was also captured and he soon found his other foot also being stepped on. He couldn't move!

"Settle down, boy," Tao scoffed as he struggled to break loose, cracking his neck and delivering a massive head-butt right to the boy's forehead.

He went limp.

"Goku, no!" Upa screamed.

The man released him and he fell over limply, only to be picked up by an ankle and thrown at the tower yet again.

"Well, the boy at least takes a better beating than most," the hitman smirked.

He groaned weakly and forced himself back upright, hands pressed to his sore head. It hurt even more than that one time Kagome had hit him when he'd kissed her! He hadn't thought that was possible! "Ahh-aaahhh!" he moaned. "Hey, _ouch_!"

Tao reeled a bit, but the look of surprise melted into a glower. "So, you're back on your feet. I would advise against that."

"Well, then," another voice coughed, "I guess we all make bad decisions sometimes."

Goku gasped, his eyes darting over to see the priestess also standing and brandishing her sword once more. "Kagome!" There was a little trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth, and her clothes were dirty - but other than that, she looked like she hadn't gotten hit at all. Her ki danced around her in visible swirls, focussing mostly on her shoulder and middle.

She shot him a tired wink. "Takes more than a little love-tap like that to keep me down. Shall we?"

He grinned at her.

"Ignoring me," the man drawled, appearing right behind the priestess out of thin air. " _Also_ something that I wouldn't advise."

She swiveled around quickly, nicking him again with Reikenkon, but he caught her arm as she tried to shift into another swing. The girl winced, giving a short scream when the hitman squeezed down.

"Kagome!" Goku shouted, rushing in to help.

"You have a good deal of endurance for a girl, I'll admit that," Tao spoke, staring down into her paling face as he carelessly batted the boy away once more. "And your ki is impressive enough as well. I can't honestly say that I've ever seen its like... However."

He lifted her off the ground and flung her into the tower with a sickening thunk, the same way he had been tossing Goku around.

"It is still not enough."

"KAGOME!" the boy yelled, seeing her fall limply to the ground.

He turned back on the assassin with an enraged snarl, shifting one foot in front of the other and bringing his hands up to his side. "You're gonna regret that! Ka... me...! Ha... me...!" This one was for Kagome and Bora. "HAAA!"

The wave exploded forward, swallowing the hitman in a blinding blue light.

For a moment, it seemed like the fight was won - but then the attack faded. The hitman stood there, clothes in tatters and smoking but completely intact.

"Now..." the man snarled. "My clothes are _completely_ ruined!"

Goku stumbled back a step. "Y-you're still standing?!"

"Dodon Ray!" Tao growled, pointing a finger at the boy - and a beam of yellowish energy tore through the air, right into Goku's chest.

He went down, and the world went dark around him.

xxxx

Kagome jolted back to consciousness suddenly to the sound of gunshots. She sat up fast, fighting back a whimper as her reiki rushed to mend broken bones and stop any internal bleeding, and glanced up to see a soldier shooting at Goku - who actually looked to be protecting Upa with his body.

"No!" she screamed, rushing to her feet.

The soldier swerved around, pointing his gun at her instead, and she flinched as she hurried to call up another barrier-

"Didn't get me!" a familiar voice announced, causing the soldier to freeze.

She slumped with relief, falling limply to her knees as the man ran back for his plane and flew away at full speed. "Goku..." she murmured, relieved and disbelieving in equal measures. He had gotten shot. She had _seen_ him get shot, dammit! Multiple times!

He gave her a bright grin. "I'll be right back, okay! Nimbus!"

The priestess just nodded weakly as he hopped up onto the cloud, darting off after the fleeing enemy. By the time he got back, she was mostly healed - and, beyond any of her wildest expectations, so was he. Did he still have a few scrapes and bruises here and there? Oh, absolutely.

Did he look like he had just been beaten to the brink of death by a paid assassin? Nope. If she didn't know any better, she would have been quicker to assume that he'd just had a monkey-bars mishap at the playground.

"What happened?" she demanded.

He beamed and pulled out the four-star dragon ball. "Grandpa saved me!"

Her eye twitched. " _What_?"

Upa quickly explained things for her, also going into how the man had left after collecting the backpack with the other dragon balls in it. She supposed she should just be glad that _her_ bags (yes, both of them) had been sitting far enough out of the way not to garner attention.

"Goku, get over here," she ordered sharply.

He cringed, hugging his dragon ball to him. "I-I didn't mean to-"

" _Get_ ," she cut him off, " _over here_."

His gaze was watery with fear, but he stumbled over to where she was still sitting in the grass. He squeezed his eyes shut, obviously anticipating the worst.

"D-don't hurt him!" Upa yelped, worried.

She yanked the boy down into a tight hug, her shoulders shaking as she clung to him and confirmed that his heart was indeed still beating.

"Kagome?" he murmured uncertainly, wrapping his own arms around her neck.

"You scared the life out of me, you stupid brat!" she scolded, voice more than just a little choked. "I'm partially immortal, what the hell is _your_ excuse?!"

"Wait, what?"

She hated it, but she cried. She downright _sobbed_.

She'd seen him lying there, saw him get _shot_ , and thought that he was dead. Even if it was only for the few seconds it took the damn kid to spring back up, she had been all alone in a world where nothing made sense - and then she found out that the only thing that had stood between him and the afterlife was dumb luck and his grandpa's memento.

Yeah, she was _not_ having a good day.

The boy spoke to her worriedly and held onto her, but none of his words really registered as anything more than white noise. She had lost people that she cared about before: her father when she was young, her mother to a drunk driver, and Inuyasha through his own stupid pigheadedness and countless strings of bad decisions. But she had never _seen_ any of them slip away, or their corpses when all was said and done.

She never ever wanted to again, either, whether it had turned out that he wasn't actually dead in the end or not.

It took her longer to calm down than she would have liked, but it was therapeutic; even Upa had joined in at some point or another, and had tucked himself against her side to sob out his own loss in company. She sniffled, finally loosening her grip on Goku a bit so that she could sit back and give the other boy a well-deserved hug as well.

"I'm so sorry about your dad," she whispered, her face buried in black hair. She wasn't sure which of the boys' it was, but she wasn't in too big a hurry to move yet.

"I-it's not your fault," Upa whimpered. "It's not either of your faults."

"There's gotta be some way we can help..." Goku murmured subduedly. "... Wait..." He pulled away from the huddle abruptly, eyes sparking with eager determination. "If we can collect all the dragon balls, we could wish his dad back to life!"

"What?!" the other boy gasped, also sitting back up straight. "Can you really do that?"

"I think so," Goku nodded excitedly. "If we find all seven, then we can have any wish that we want!"

Upa's grin slowly faded. "But... remember, that bad man who hurt my father took your bag with the other dragon balls..."

The tailed boy glanced away, growling a bit with anger and frustration. "That's right, he sure did... Well the next time we see him, we'll just have to take 'em back! Then we'll only need three more! That guy... is really strong, though... We'll have to find some way to beat him... I just don't know what to do... My Kamehameha wave didn't even scratch him!"

Kagome swallowed thickly. "W-what if... Bora could be wished back right now?"

The boys jolted and turned to stare at her. "What do you mean?" Goku gawked. "We only have one dragon ball!"

She winced and glanced away. "Yeah, but... we have something similar."

"What do you mean?" Upa questioned, taking hold of her arm.

The priestess took a deep, fortifying breath. "We have me."

Looked like she was going to just have to push past that awkwardness and get it all out there after all.

"Kagome?" Goku worried. "What do you mean, we have you?"

She forced herself to look up and meet his eyes. "There are a few things I didn't tell you earlier..."

xxxx

A/N: Bum bum bummmmm... And now the secrets are all out there! Certain things are obviously harder to talk about than others, but there comes a time when you just have to spill your guts. Hope everyone liked the chapter!

Edit: 8/26/16


	14. Chapter 14

His friend's story was a long one, full of all sorts of things that made his head hurt - but at the end of it, it was pretty clear how he felt about the matter.

"No," he rejected immediately. "We're not wishing on you. We'll just find another way."

Upa gawked. "But... but why not?"

"Weren't you listening? If anyone but Kagome makes a wish, it gets all messed up and twisted and she's left completely powerless and in a lot of pain," he reminded. "And if she _does_ make the wish, then _she_ would be the one we'd be having to use the dragon balls to bring back to life. Like I said, we'll just find another way."

The priestess gaped at him, completely stunned, but her face slowly melted into a teary smile. "Thank you."

He grinned at her. "I don't know why you brought it up, it wasn't even an option!"

The other boy was quiet for a long moment, but finally nodded in agreement. "Yeah," he sighed. "Goku's right. Daddy wouldn't want it like that."

He didn't really like that she seemed so surprised and happy that they didn't want to use her - but from her story, it sounded like that wasn't really a common reaction. And now, with the new information shining some light on a few of the things that she had kind of skipped over before, he was starting to think that he could really see pieces of the world that she had come from in the way that she lived her daily life.

Again, he wasn't exactly pleased with some of the things that he was picking up on. But he would keep his mouth shut until she was ready to talk about it more.

"Why don't you try to climb Korin Tower?"

Goku blinked, drawn from his thoughts, and turned his gaze to Upa. "What?"

"Oh, I think you can both make it!" the other boy grinned.

They all stared up at the tower for a minute, but Goku slowly started to feel himself get excited. "That's right... if we climb all the way to the top, we'll get to drink the water that'll make us super strong! Won't we?"

"If the stories are true!" Upa confirmed brightly.

"Uwah... I wish we could ride Nimbus up there," the boy admitted. "But we have to make it all the way up by ourselves, don't we?"

"Yes," the other boy agreed. "That is the only rule."

He gave a determined nod. "Alright. Kagome, are you ready to go?"

The priestess hesitated a second. "Are you sure that you want me to come with you?" she checked warily.

Goku snorted. "Of course! We're partners, aren't we?"

She beamed at him. "Alright, then," she agreed. "Just let me change into something else while these clothes heal themselves, and then we can go. You might want to change too, Goku," she pointed out, jabbing a finger at the gaping hole in his shirt.

He laughed sheepishly. "I, uh... don't have any other clothes?"

She shot him a look. "... Just... go wash your face or something."

With another sheepish laugh, he ran off to do just that.

"Okay!" the boy cheered as they met back up at the base of the tower a little while later, both cleaned up a bit and her wearing an outfit almost exactly like the last but green instead of blue. "Now let's go!"

Kagome chuckled in amused agreement, the two of them removing their weapons and propping them next to each other against the monument. They wouldn't really be needing them where they were going, and even just a small bit of extra weight was still extra weight. His friend murmured something to her sword as she set it down, and it gave a quiet rattle in reply.

"Good luck!" Upa told the pair. "And be careful!"

"I bet that Tao guy will come back to get our dragon ball," the boy warned as he tied a small bag with said ball in it to his belt, "so you should find somewhere safe to hide until we get back, okay?"

"And please, look after our bags?" Kagome requested.

"We won't be long." Goku added.

"Watch your step," the smaller boy nodded, moving back to give them some room.

The priestess walked over to the opposite side of the tower from him, and he heard her take a deep breath. "Ready?"

"Ready," he confirmed. "Meet you at the top!"

He darted up his side, swinging himself along like a monkey, and he managed a peek over onto his friend's side to see her actually running along the stone vertically. His eyes went wide and he nearly slipped, but he caught himself at the last minute.

Someday, he was going to know all her secrets. In the meantime, he chuckled to himself quietly as they went, he would just try to enjoy learning them one at a time.

xxxx

The climb was long and hard, bleeding all the way from early afternoon into night with still no end to be seen. Kagome was starting to regret not bringing at least one of her bags and stuffing it with food, so she knew for a fact that Goku was probably dying of hunger. She'd cut off the excess reiki usage not too far in, in preference of climbing the more conventional way - but still... after that fight earlier in the day, she had been low to start with.

As it was, she was rather interested to learn that one of the changes in her energy was that it flowed more easily to the rest of her body than it had ever before. Circulating an extra little boost to her muscles had never come more readily.

"I think I'm just... gonna take a little nap..." her companion spoke up after a while.

She nearly panicked, but even she had to admit that she was completely exhausted. Her brain was still somewhere about twenty or thirty feet below them, trying to catch up. "Can you sleep without falling?" she demanded seriously.

His only response was a light snore, and she shook her head in tired amusement as she concentrated on shifting her reiki's properties slightly so that it would hold her to the tower.

Sending up a quick prayer that it would be enough, she also drifted to sleep.

Goku groaned loudly and smacked his face against the stone a couple of times as the sun rose the next morning, waking her up and signaling the resume of their climb. Both were still dragging, but one's determination to reach the top fueled the other's. They talked when they had the breath to spare, but mostly they traveled in silence.

Finally, the end was in sight.

With one final burst of energy, they pulled themselves up through two of the holes that led inside and collapsed right next to each other.

"Finally..." Goku panted tiredly, "here... Now where's that water...?"

"I don't know," she groaned as they both stood. "But I could sure use a drink."

"Maybe it's hidden somewhere?" he suggested, recovering much too quickly to be fair. Really, she just wanted to pass out for a couple of days and there he was just bouncing right on back like it was nothing.

She was right, back in the pirate lair. He really was rubber.

"What are these?" the boy wondered, walking over to a collection of large, lidded clay pots. "Is it in here?"

"No clue," she responded, lifting the lid off of one while he did the same with another.

Well, it was definitely water... but something about it felt _off_.

"Hey!" her companion gasped. "Mine has Bulma in it! Bulma!"

Her eyes went wide, her own pot filling with the image of the Western Citadel - or more specifically, the small library just off of the family wing where the children received the majority of their tutoring. And there, just like she remembered them, were Rin and Shippou.

"Wait a second, can she hear me?" Goku wondered, drawing her attention momentarily away from the scene. "Bulma! Bulma, I'm up here!"

She turned back to her own pot. "Rin?" she tried hesitantly. "Shippou?"

Both seemed to jolt and look around.

The priestess let out a slow, quiet breath. "I love you guys," she murmured with a soft smile. "Just remember that, okay?"

They glanced at one another, eyes wide.

'Did you hear that?' the girl whispered uncertainly.

The redhead nodded slowly. 'You did, too?'

Goku suddenly laughed. "She's so silly!"

She chuckled at his antics. "I'm fine," she insisted to the two quickly, feeling that time was short. "So I want you to just worry about looking after each other and the great Lord Fluffy. Okay? I love you."

"Hey!" her friend yelped. "Where'd the water go?"

As she watched, the pot that she was staring into dried up. A single tear slid down her nose, dripping into the bottom silently.

"What's in this one?" Goku continued curiously, moving to the next container.

She sniffed quietly and wiped her eyes, walking over to join him as he pulled the lid off.

"It's us!" he announced with a laugh. They were flying on Nimbus, talking to each other. "But how can we be there, and here all at once?"

'I come from a different world!' the mini-her growled. 'A different _dimension_ , Goku!'

Mini-Goku gaped at her in awe. 'Cool!'

The priestess winced. "Unless it's already happened..."

'Gah!' the her in the image roared.

"Already happened?" the Goku beside her questioned, even as the one in the water reached out and tugged on smaller-Kagome's sleeve with a 'Hey!', which was immediately responded to with a sharp 'What?'

The priestess covered her face with a hand, but found herself glancing back down when the boy next to her yelped.

"O-oh," he stuttered, flinching and rubbing at his head as the two in the image kissed.

"Yeah," she sighed, turning back away as the water dried up immediately after her past-self's embarrassed screaming and mini-Goku's 'Owwwww!'

"... Next one?" he offered sheepishly.

She shook her head wryly. "Sure, sure..."

They walked over side-by-side, the boy pulling the lid off eagerly.

Both screamed when the giant centipede burst from the depths of the clay, though, and she may or may not have wailed something like "Oh gods, not again!" Either way, she blamed this one entirely on Goku.

Images swam past her vision as the not-quite-demon squeezed them tightly, pictures of people that she knew followed by people that she didn't.

Inuyasha and Kikyou. Sango and Miroku. Sesshoumaru, Rin, and Shippou. Tao. Bora. Upa. Then, finally... an old woman perched on a crystal ball? Followed directly by... Inuyasha again? But why was he wearing that mask?

She dropped to her knees as the centipede abruptly disappeared, leaving them at the top of Korin Tower once more. "What the _hell_?"

"... Whoa," Goku gaped beside her. "Weird. What was that all about?"

"Relax, kids - don't stress out. You just had some visions, that's all. The big three: past, present, and future," a voice spoke up out of nowhere.

The boy next to her started looking around quickly. "Hello? Who is it? Where are you?"

"I can barely hear you," the voice grunted. "Just come on up."

Goku met her eyes. "Huh?"

She glanced around a moment, finally pointing towards what looked to be a doorway without the door. "I'm guessing stairs," she murmured weakly.

Why would Inuyasha be in her 'future'? He was dead. She'd been to the grave.

It couldn't have been him. She was just mistaken.

She and her companion both made their way to the arch and glanced outside, her guess being proven right as their eyes landed on a flight of stairs.

"I guess we're still not at the top yet," she groaned tiredly.

Goku frowned. "Maybe the sacred water is up there?"

"One way to find out," she grumbled. "C'mon."

xxxx

They reached the top of the stairs quickly, coming out into a wide, open space with a fountain in the center.

"Okay," Goku called out. "We're here. Where are you? Hello?"

"Well alright, it's about time you joined the party," the same voice from earlier spoke.

"Party?" the boy repeated.

"Enough hiding," Kagome huffed. "Show yourself."

The voice laughed. "Take the blinders off, girly. I'm right here."

Finally, they both looked over to see... a white cat with a wooden cane?

"You're pretty spry for kids your size," he grinned at them. "I enjoyed your climb."

The priestess glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're tiny, toots," the cat snorted. "Let's face it: you may be done growin', but you sure ain't any taller than five-foot-nothin'."

"Look," Goku interrupted. "We're not here to play games. We need the water."

"Come closer," he instructed.

They did so, the boy more readily than the girl. "My name's Goku," he introduced himself to the feline. "And this is my partner, Kagome. We need the sacred water; can you help us?"

"Hm," the cat scoffed. "Like I haven't heard that one before."

The boy fought a grumble. "What's your name?"

"Korin," the feline informed them. "Keeper of the tower."

Goku gaped. "Korin? Then you have the sacred water?!"

"Of course," he huffed, reaching up and stroking his whiskers with a teasing grin. "We're surrounded by sacred water. Every drop on this planet!"

"Seriously?" Kagome blurted out. "Because that would actually explain a lot!"

They both turned to stare at her disbelievingly, and she went red.

"... Forget it..." she mumbled, avoiding their gazes and scuffing her toe against the floor in embarrassment. "Just... yeah."

"... Anyway," Goku continued, shaking his head. His friend could be kinda strange every now and then. "We need it. That's why we're here; we were told that if we climbed this tower, we would find water that would make us stronger. Please! It's important."

"Oh? And what would you do with this strength?" the cat prodded.

"I would use it to help my friends," he stated with conviction.

"And you?" the feline turned to Kagome.

"I would use it to protect the ones I cherish," she spoke softly. "So that I never had to see anyone get hurt because of me again."

He nodded. "Those are some noble statements for a couple of children."

"Ugh!" the priestess groaned. "For the love of the gods! I'm _twenty_ already!"

"And you really think that makes you an adult?" the cat snorted. "From where I'm sittin', you're both just a couple of snot-nosed brats."

"What does age have to do with it?" Goku questioned.

The feline scoffed and turned around, walking away from them a few paces. "Ask me again when you're older." He stopped, though he didn't face them again. "Look, kids, no hard feelin's. It's just not your time."

"Not our _time_?" Kagome growled. "Pal, my time is so far away that it's not even funny. And Goku, he may not have many years on him - but what he _does_ have, he's got in spades. Can you say the same thing for even half of the bozos who tried making it up here and fell down somewhere along the way?"

"We climbed the tower," the boy spoke softly, reaching up to briefly squeeze her hand in appreciation. "Now please, give us a drink. That is the rule, right?"

"Are you certain the sacred water is what you need?" the cat pressed.

Goku nodded determinedly. "Mhm!"

The priestess, however, hesitated. "No," she admitted after a moment. "I'm not certain. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is; that's practically my motto. But we did make it all the way up here, and I'm going to hope that that's payment enough for whatever we climb back down with. I want to be able to stand tall and face anything that comes our way."

The feline slowly turned back around. "Is that from your heart?"

The boy glanced up, meeting his friend's eye for a moment before grinning at her and giving Korin a nod for the both of them. "Yes, sir!"

"... I... say no," the cat stated after a few moments of suspense.

"What?!" Goku yelped.

Kagome gave a short growl. "What's your game?"

Korin just laughed, long and loud.

"I don't understand!" the boy finally declared irritably. "Why did you waste our time? We didn't even get to see it!"

The feline snickered. "You mean the sacred water that's on top of the fountain?"

They both glanced over, seeing the jar that the cat was pointing to.

"Wha-?" Goku spluttered. "B-but, I thought - I mean, you said..."

"Ahem," Korin cleared his throat. "If you're done fallin' all over yourself, maybe we can continue. Why do you want more strength?"

"Oh, see, we've been collecting the dragon balls," the boy explained, trying to figure out how to simplify it, "and that's how we met Bora. He gave us the four-star ball, and then he was killed by this mean-"

"Yeah, yeah," the cat interrupted. "Alright, alright. Easy on the speech, okay? You're hard on the ears."

"Don't talk?" Kagome snorted. "You _just_ asked him to!"

The feline sighed. "Just lock your jaws for a minute, would ya?"

They both went silent, though the priestess crossed her arms irritably and turned to stare out at the sky with a low grumble.

"You have to defeat Tao the mercenary to retrieve your dragon balls and then collect the other three so you can wish Upa's father back to life," Korin stated after a long moment of quiet. "Is that the gist of it?"

"What?!" Goku yelped. "How could you know all that when we didn't even say anything about it?!"

The cat stroked its whiskers again. "I... read... minds! But don't worry kid, there weren't that many chapters." He paused for a moment and glanced up at Kagome. "Though you, on the other hand, have led quite a surprising life there, missy."

She paled.

"Don't worry," the feline shook his head. "I'm not the kind of cat to take advantage of this sorta knowledge. Rest easy."

"Amazing," Goku murmured.

"Thanks, but you're an easy audience," the feline chuckled. "Pure minds are like lookin' through glass."

"So it's alright, then?" the boy questioned, turning back to the sacred water. He ran up to the fountain excitedly. "Don't worry, I'll get it!" he announced, scaling up the structure with only a couple of slip-ups. "This is great! I can't wait to see how strong it makes us."

"How does it look up there?" Korin called.

He glanced over his shoulder. "Fine," he assured. "I've got it!"

The cat grinned. "Are you sure?"

"No problem!" Goku declared, reaching out to take the jar.

He was knocked off the fountain not a second later.

"Wha-! You said we could have the sacred water!" he barked at the feline.

"If that's what I said, then don't mind me; have all you want," Korin stated. "Go on, what are you waiting for?"

Kagome growled. "Is there a particular reason you're screwing with us?"

"It's okay," the boy frowned determinedly. "I'll just try again!"

He darted for the jar quickly, only to get knocked out of the way yet again.

"What's the big idea?!" he growled frustratedly. "You said we could drink, didn't you?!"

"That's right," the cat agreed. "If you can get around me."

"Alright then, two can play at that game!" Goku announced, taking a deep breath and pointing off in a random direction. "Look!"

With the feline's attention diverted, he leapt again - only to get smacked by the cane.

"Goku!" Kagome called worriedly, rushing to help him back to his feet.

"Not that this isn't any fun," Korin spoke as the boy held his aching face, "but before you play the game, maybe you should read the directions." He lifted his cane, hooking the jar with it and binging it down from its pedestal. "Come on, it's right here. Keep your eyes on the prize! We're gonna do this one at a time, got it? Girly, you sit this one out; I see you makin' a move and you're both disqualified. It'll be your turn to try soon enough."

The boy growled. "You liar! We're gonna get that bottle, count on it you hear me!"

"Come on!" the feline goaded. "Oh, it's gettin' heavy!"

Goku gave a shout and charged, Korin immediately dodging out of his way. The same thing happened three more times before they paused, the boy's eyes wide and uncertain. This was the second time in as many days that he was staring down an opponent that he just knew he couldn't beat at his current level.

"I understand if you wanna give up," the cat grinned. "No hard feelings! Maybe little Miss Genie over there'll have better luck snaggin' the bottle than a monkey."

He growled and tried again, getting close so many times but never quite reaching it.

After a few more minutes of the fruitless pursuit, he stood there panting. "You're too fast! I can't catch you!" he gasped.

"That's right," Korin agreed disappointedly, "if you keep _that_ attitude. You can't achieve what your mind can't conceive. All you're doing is reacting to me! Learn to anticipate your opponent's actions!"

"... Okay..." he wheezed, already tired.

"Unless of course you feel like tapping out," the feline offered flippantly, glancing over at Kagome. "Girly, you wanna try takin' his place? Looks like the kid's done."

Goku gave an angry shout and rushed him, and the struggle continued anew.

He fought hard, the wind picking up around them and a massive storm brewing. Kagome kept vigil just beside the stairs, barely far enough inside to keep from getting wet as the rain pelted down from all directions. She hadn't moved in over an hour already, just kept sitting there with her legs crossed and her eyes closed.

"You can't be that tired," the cat mocked as the boy laid flat on his back some time later, struggling to catch his breath. "Come on, we're just gettin' started! You're embarrassin' yourself in front of the lady, kid."

He forced himself to sit up. "Korin... tell me - has there ever been anyone who was able to climb the tower and get the bottle from you?"

"Yes," the feline admitted easily. "But only one, about three hundred years ago."

"U-uwah..." Goku blinked as he stood, stunned. "Exactly how old are you anyway?"

There was a flash of lightning. "Eight hundred years, give or take a few."

"Eight hundred years?!" the boy yelped. "Oh, wow! You're really old!"

"And yet somehow his tail still hasn't split," Kagome wisecracked, not even opening her eyes. "That does make one wonder."

"What?" Goku questioned uncertainly, both of them staring at her confusedly again.

"Where I'm from, they say a cat's tail splits after they get to a certain age," the priestess explained with a weary sigh. "It's supposed to gain supernatural powers and immortality. That Korin is eight hundred and still a one-tail would get him laughed right out of the West."

"You do know you're probably gonna reach at _least_ eight hundred, right missy?" the cat snorted. "I'd show a little more respect."

She made a face.

"I'll tell you something else though, kid," the feline continued, turning back to Goku. "The only person who ever succeeded in drinking the sacred water..." There was a loud crash of thunder, light flaring out temporarily to fill the space around them. After a long pause, Korin finished his sentence: "... was the man you call 'Master'."

Goku gaped. "Wait! W-what are you saying?"

"Judging by the way you move, I'd say your teacher is the old turtle hermit. Roshi," the cat announced.

The boy's jaw dropped.

"Hang on, you're talking about Master Pervert?" Kagome cut in, sounding stunned. "I mean, I guess it's easy enough to sense that he has strong ki, but - how old is _he_?"

The cat shrugged. "Not my place to tell, girly."

"Is that how he became so strong?" Goku questioned, voice awed and incredulous in equal measures. "By drinking the sacred water?"

Korin nodded. "That's right."

"So it's not a complete sham?" the priestess wondered to herself.

"Wah..." the boy murmured. "I can't believe Master Roshi was the first one here!"

"Believe it or not, it's true," the feline confirmed. "He was a tricky one."

"Why do you say that?" Goku asked. "Was he really fast? How long did it take him to get the bottle from you?"

The cat held up three fingers.

"Whoa!" the boy reeled. "Just three minutes?"

"No, sir," Korin grinned.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that it was more than three hours, too," the girl joined in.

The feline snickered. "Three years, kids."

"T-three _years_?!" Goku spluttered, beginning to panic. They didn't have that much time! They still had to get the other dragon balls and bring Bora back! "I-it really took that long for _Master Roshi_ to get to the sacred water?!"

"That's right," the cat confirmed with a laugh. "Now how long do you think it's gonna take you two?"

"Stop that!" the boy barked. "It's not funny! We have to get that extra strength right now, we don't have much time! Our friends are in trouble!" He gave a low growl. "I'm going to get that water from you whatever it takes!"

Korin held his gaze for a long moment... and then yawned. "Ah, the rain always makes me sleepy," he sighed, rubbing his face. "The bottle will be right here whenever you want it, so... just let me know." He gave a thorough stretch. "And try not to worry so much! Three years can go by pretty quickly. Though, well, with the two of you it might be more like six."

Kagome nearly tripped him when he walked by her towards the stairs, but he leapt over her leg-sweep without even paying it much attention.

"Careful, missy. I'm pretty sure we didn't switch out yet," he drawled.

Goku was starting to get really frustrated. "That's it, I'm getting that water! I'm getting it right now!"

He tried to use his afterimages to give him an advantage, but all he got was a headache and laughed at more for his trouble. His friend ended up helping him back to his feet, the two of them following the feline back down the stairs - where he very promptly passed out from hunger and exhaustion.

He was woken up by the promise of lunch, only to get tossed a bean. _One_ bean.

"Just try it," Kagome suggested quietly from her place kneeling by the door. "He called them Senzu Beans. They actually do make you feel full."

The boy hesitated, but... well, he may not trust Korin entirely, but he did trust her.

"Alright," he agreed slowly, popping the bean into his mouth and eating it. To his surprise and amazement, it was just like the priestess had said - he really did feel full even with it being just the one.

"You feel lightheaded and weak," the feline spoke as he rifled around in one of the cabinets, "but your appetite isn't a problem. At this altitude, the air is much thinner than you're used to, so all that wasted energy you're throwin' around is bringin' you back down. See, you should move like you speak: with purpose and clear direction. Commit your mind and _focus_. Distraction is the route of all failure."

Goku gaped into the cupboard that had been left open, the running water and the floating dishes. He reached out and poked it curiously.

"Hey, what's this?" Korin continued speaking. "Garbage?"

"Uh-huh," he mumbled, right as Kagome yelped out a sharp " _No_!"

"Then why keep it around?" the cat goaded, obviously ignoring the girl. Goku quickly turned around, only to let out a scream when he realized what the feline was holding.

"My grandpa's dragon ball! Wait, stop!" he shouted desperately.

It was too late, though. Korin had already thrown it right out off the tower.

"Nooooo!" he wailed, running to the window and watching it fall. "What are you _doing_?!"

Without another word, he swung out through the holes in the center of the floor and started climbing back down. He had to find it before those Red Ribbon guys did.

xxxx

A/N: Wild Korin appears! I love this character. He's absolutely hilarious. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

Edit: 8/26/16


	15. Chapter 15

Kagome was more than just a little _mad_ this time.

She was downright _furious_.

"What is your _problem_?!" she snarled, taking a swipe at the demented feline. "What the _hell_ is your _problem_?!"

"Hey, easy!" the cat yelped, quickly ducking the blow. "Easy!"

"Are you a complete and utter moron?! What would you have done if he'd jumped out the window after it?! This is Goku! That actually _is_ a distinct possibility!" she screeched, chasing after him with violence on the mind.

"Calm down!" Korin shouted, running up the stairs and out onto the more open area of the tower. "Look, it was necessary! Everybody trains different, right?!"

She paused, glaring at him suspiciously. "Explain," she clipped.

The feline sighed a bit and slumped back against the railing. "Okay, so we pretty much all know that you're not goin' anywhere with physical strength," he spoke. "And don't go gettin' your panties in a twist, I'm just bein' realistic. Without your ki, you're just another one of those little girls down there who like to play pretend that they can handle themselves just 'cause they take karate - but _with_ the ki, it's a whole new ballgame. Right?"

The priestess thought it over for a second. She had to admit, it was... logical. Slowly, she walked over and sat down in front of him. "And just what does this have to do with you tossing Goku off the tower?"

"Hey, I didn't toss the kid anywhere!" he defended.

"You chucked his grandpa's dragon ball," she scoffed. "That's as good as doing it to him. He'd follow that thing to Hell and back if he had to."

The cat winced. "Yeah, yeah, okay... He just needed the right incentive to get him goin', alright? I was thinkin' that having you sit there and watch would be enough to get him to step up his game, but apparently the only balls he's aware of are-"

"Finish that sentence," she cut him off with a growl, "and I'll make a fiddle out of you."

Korin audibly gulped. "... Gotcha. Anyway, he had to have something that would get him to push himself harder. He'll be back in a few hours, a day max, and he'll be stronger than ever. You'll see."

She studied him closely, eyes narrowed. "So then," she finally stated. "I suppose this means that it's my turn now."

"Er, I was actually kind of hoping for a bit of a break," the cat admitted.

She gave him an innocent smile. "Well then, it's a real shame you're leaving me with so much free time to meditate. I'm just bursting with energy."

"Oh, great," the feline groaned. "Here we go..."

"As an alternative," she offered after a moment of letting him moan. "You could tell me what it is about this world that's so different from my own. They're both supposedly Earth, and I know that the calendars definitely don't line up, but my best theory up until a few days ago was an alternate dimension where things'd just developed differently. Now I'm not so sure."

"Because of the change in your energy?" he guessed.

She nodded. "Because of the change in my energy. Oh, and I'm also going to have to tell you to stay out of my head from now on."

He sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll try to remember that."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Anyway. The way I see it, you're eight hundred years old and you've peeked at my thoughts enough to have a general idea of where I came from. So."

The feline nodded thoughtfully. "Gotcha. You want a history lesson."

"No," she corrected. "I want to understand what's happening to me so that I can adapt to those changes and turn them to my advantage."

He smirked just a bit. "Smart. Alright, what do you wanna know?"

She sighed. "I guess... everything."

There was a beat of silence.

"Then it's probably a good thing we've got a few hours," the cat groaned tiredly. "Fasten your seatbelt, girly. You're in for a bumpy ride."

The priestess held his gaze, completely serious. "I never expected anything less."

"Alright. Best I can tell, you come from maybe a couple hundred years before the second Great Flood..."

Post-apocalyptic future where nuclear winter paired with a massive cosmic event had managed to soak the whole planet in a blanket of genetically-altering radiation _hadn't_ been the first guess on her possibilities list, but - to be fair - neither had the test-tube dinosaurs.

She would have thought that they'd learned something from Jurassic Park.

xxxx

Goku darted back up the tower with his dragon ball once more tied to his belt, feeling more than just a little annoyed. How could Korin do that! First playing tricks on them with the sacred water, and now tossing his most prized possession right out the window!

"This isn't garbage, okay!" he shouted after taking a second to regain his breath. "It's the four-star ball, and it's very, _very_ important to me!"

"So I've heard," the cat murmured, rolling over before giving a snore.

"Hey! Are you listening to me?!" the boy growled, stomping up to the small bed. There was no response. "It's not nice to throw away another person's things!" he tried again. "Korin!" No response. "WAKE UP!" he shouted, peeling one of the feline's eyes open.

The only thing in that eye was an endless ocean and schools of fish. Goku let out a yelp and fell over.

Korin sat up, laughing loudly at him.

Kagome, who had been sitting in the corner with her legs crossed and eyes closed again for some reason, threw one of her shoes at the cat. That made the boy feel a little better, even if it did miss.

"Yeah, yeah," the feline stood, giving a stretch and kicking the boot back onto the floor. "I can tell when I'm not wanted, you lousy brats. I'll just go sleep upstairs, then."

Goku stuck his tongue out at him as he left to do just that.

The priestess sighed and got up to retrieve her shoe, tugging off the other as well and plopping down on the bed. "And I thought that Buyo could get annoying sometimes. Did you see Upa while you were down there?"

He shook his head and walked over to sit beside her. "No, I think he went and hid like we told him to."

She nodded. "... Hey, Goku?"

"Yeah?"

The girl glanced over to fully meet his eyes. "You were back in three hours."

He took a moment to process that, and then his jaw dropped.

xxxx

Kagome woke up sometime in the middle of the night, realizing that Goku was no longer sleeping beside her on the hijacked bed. She spread her senses curiously, finding him right away up on the next floor with Korin - was he really trying a sneak-attack? That wasn't usually his style. He seemed to decide the same thing and backed off to crash on the other side of the pavilion, making her smile to herself.

Though she did have to wonder a bit as she rolled over to slip back into a doze, just when it was that she had become so aware of his aura that she could key in on it in an instant like that.

She woke again to the sound of fighting, and sat up to return once more to a seated position against the wall. She stubbornly ignored the prick of worry she felt when she sensed Goku going back down the tower and slipped into meditation.

'Ugh,' she heard the voice of the 'Shikon' groan as she turned inward once more. 'Back already, little girl? The arrangement's not going to change.'

'We'll see,' she stated as she took a look around at their empty surroundings.

'Everything has a price! Even those dragon balls that your little monkey is so enamored with require one to hunt them down in order to use them. Such things are beyond the control of mortals,' it growled.

'I know,' she huffed simply. 'But that's not what I'm after.'

There was a long pause, an almost exact copy of herself appearing before her out of the darkness... if she was part demon, at least. 'What is that supposed to mean?'

'You're me,' the priestess snorted. 'Can't you tell?'

It studied her with intrigued, luminescent silver eyes. 'You desire... a compromise?'

She nodded. 'I've just been thinking lately, what Korin said is right. My biggest resource is my ki, and I can't use that properly if I'm constantly at war with myself. So what is it going to take for you to stop fighting me?'

It tilted its head at her curiously. 'You will not attempt to command me as so many have before?'

Kagome shot the manifestation a look. 'Again: you're _me_. I don't do well with orders.'

Slowly, it grinned. 'Subdue me once and for all, allow me to meet this dragon of theirs when it is summoned, and I believe that we can discuss terms.'

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. 'Why do you want to meet the dragon?'

It shrugged unrepentantly. 'He is like us; the concept intrigues me. Doesn't it you?'

'Well... yes,' she admitted. 'But I won't let you steal Goku's wish.'

It gave her a sharklike grin, its teeth jagged. 'As you continue to insist, I am you. Do you truly believe that I would take any wishes that I might foster to someone else when the power to grant them is within my own grasp? As I said, everything has a price. I have no interest in acquiring a debt.'

... That made a surprising amount of sense, actually - and it was easy enough to arrange. 'Alright, then that should be fine. Now what did you mean about subduing you?'

'I, too, wish to see just how this new world has effected my strength.'

And then it charged, claws biting into her shoulder, and Kagome realized that this might not be so simple after all.

xxxx

It had already been nearly two days since Kagome had moved, and Goku was really getting worried. Korin seemed to think that she was doing something important and had told him not to wake her up no matter what, but he was still worried about her.

Though, it did feel good to have figured out how to read Korin's breath all on his own. He knew that she probably would have explained it for him if he'd asked, but just the reassurance that he didn't need her to explain _everything_ for him was a relief; she'd told him plenty of times that she didn't think he was dumb, but he wanted to keep it that way. He didn't want to have to depend on her all the time when he got confused.

He wasn't going to stop depending on her altogether, but still. It was nice, and he got the feeling that she would be proud of him for it.

"Okay," he announced determinedly once he and the cat had moved to the open space above to resume their fight over the water. "Today is the day, Korin! I'm going to get that bottle before Kagome even wakes up!"

"Do, don't speak," the feline snorted. "And with as deep as that kid's in, it wouldn't really surprise me if she was still out of it for another _month_ before comin' up for some air."

"You're wrong," Goku argued, shifting into a fighting stance. "She'll be awake in no time!"

"You do know that she's not really asleep, right?" the cat sighed.

The boy charged, but Korin jumped out of the way.

"Focus, boy!" the feline shouted, diving back down straight at him.

He hurried to dodge, and the fight spread out all over the second floor in a flurry of kicks and punches. Finally, he was close enough...

The boy reached out and tickled the feline, causing him to burst into laughter and drop his cane - and the sacred water still hooked to the top of it - right over the guardrail that wrapped around the area.

"No!" the cat shouted as it fell. "The bottle!"

Goku jumped over the rail after it without a thought.

"Don't, you're gonna fall!" Korin yelled, running up to the rail after him. "Goku!"

He caught the cane, his tail hooking quickly around one of the supports. He laughed as he dangled there, thrilled with the knowledge that he had done what he'd set out to do. "Look, I got it!"

The cat grabbed him by the ankle, grumbling about stupid brats shaving a century off his life, and pulled him back up.

"Hooray!" he cheered, glad to have something solid beneath his feet again. "I have the water! What about Kagome, can I go wake her up now so that we can drink it?"

" _You_ can drink," Korin snorted. "You earned it. But the little missy still hasn't-"

A clear silver bubble suddenly snapped into place around the cat, causing them both to let out a surprised yelp.

"Hasn't...?" the priestess repeated with an impish grin as she joined them on the second floor, one hand stretched out in front of her. Something seemed... different about her. Her eyes weren't a solid blue anymore, and she seemed more sure of herself. "What was it that I haven't done yet, Korin? Because it obviously can't be catching you."

"Kagome!" the boy greeted excitedly. "You're up!"

The feline shot her an embarrassed glare. "My guard was down, you brat!"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Go ahead, Goku. I think it's probably safe to say that we passed."

The cat grumbled to himself and tapped his cane against the bubble, wincing a bit when it got bounced right back at him. Goku, having gotten the confirmation from his friend that they were both in the clear, pulled the lid from the bottle and drank deeply. He handed it up to the girl, a small frown tugging at his lips as she also took a much more delicate sip.

"I don't get it," the boy admitted frustratedly, staring down at his hands as he clenched and unclenched them into fists. "I don't feel any different from before! Kagome?"

She shook her head. "No change."

"That's natural," Korin huffed at the pair. "You feel exactly as you should after drinkin' tap water. Now would you mind lettin' me outta this thing? It's startin' to get claustrophobic."

"What!" Goku yelped. "Tap water?! But it's supposed to be special!"

The cat chuckled loudly as the priestess dropped her hand and the bubble disappeared. "Yeah, well, not really. See, you gained strength by workin' hard to get that bottle. Climbin' up and down the tower increased your endurance, learnin' how to anticipate my actions sharpened your mind, and taking that bottle away from me increased your speed - and as for the little missy, she just needed some motivation and a little time to meditate so she could work out whatever all those kinks keepin' her divided were. So see, you've tripled your strength since you arrived all by yourselves."

The boy gaped, finally understanding what he was hearing, and broke into a grin. "We're ready!" he announced, laughing happily as he flew at Kagome with an excited hug.

She laughed along, hugging him back tight. "We did it!"

"Awww, how cute," Korin snickered teasingly, interrupting the moment. "I can already see your kids... Poor little brats."

Kagome growled, went red, and stuck him in another bubble.

"WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP ASSUMING THAT I'M A PEDOPHILE!"

xxxx

Goku darted down the tower before her, going a good deal faster than she did despite the slight increase in the constant amount of reiki that she channelled into her body. Honestly, if he were actually human, she would've felt a whole lot worse about getting shown up by a twelve-year-old.

"Come on, Kagome!" the boy called up at her with a teasing laugh. "I'm gonna beat you to the boooottommm!"

"Is that a challenge, kiddo?!" she shouted back.

"Yep!" he announced easily. "And if I win, you have to stop calling me a kid!"

She chuckled, unable to help it. His enthusiasm was contagious. "Oh? We'll just have to see about that! First one to reach the ground wins?"

"Yeah-hah!" he laughed brightly.

His speed immediately picked up even further, and she channeled a whole new rush of ki to her muscles in response. Like she was just going to give up without a fight after it had gone and turned into a race! Goku, still a good ways further down than her, suddenly jumped right off the structure.

Well, she decided, two could play that game. She let go and leapt into a free-fall right as he called for Nimbus.

Oh, that was so getting him disqualified! He-

Finally a bit closer to the bottom, her eyes narrowed. She could sense Tao's aura nearby and Upa, apparently _not_ having gone somewhere safe like they had assumed, was flying through the air with a scream and practically radiating fear and panic. Goku caught the other boy right before he collided with the tower, and she solidified the flat barrier that she'd been powering beneath her feet just a few inches from the ground to stop her descent.

"You _are_ alive!" the mercenary growled.

"Thank you, Goku!" Upa wailed, clinging to him.

"Everything's going to be okay now," the tailed boy assured. "Don't worry."

Her feet touched grass as they gently sank towards the ground. "Sorry, Goku. Looks like you're still going to be 'kid' for a while yet," she announced seriously, eyes glued to the assassin. The darker portion of her mind, now no longer being strangled every second, hissed that the man would look better in red. She could practically see her silver-eyed self flex itching claws in anticipation of drenching him in it.

"What?!" her friend yelped, horrified. "No, no! That's not fair, we got interrupted! Do-over, do-over!"

The priestess fought down her rising bloodlust and shot him a tired smile. Looked like having the Shikon assimilated was going to be a whole new adventure in self-restraint. "Maybe later... _kiddo_."

"Come on, please!" he begged.

"Maybe later," she repeated.

"I've never fought someone twice," Tao spoke, drawing her attention back to him. "This will be interesting."

"How was your trip?" Upa questioned excitedly hanging off of the other boy's arm and seeming to ignore the man for the moment. "Did you get to the top of the tower? Did you drink the sacred water?"

"Yep!" Goku grinned at him, sufficiently distracted. "And we're a lot stronger now!"

"Wonderful!" the smaller boy cheered.

Her friend smiled at him for a second, only to turn his attention back down to the hitman with a determined frown. "Upa, I want you to stay on the Nimbus," he instructed seriously, giving the younger kid a glance. "Okay?"

"Okay," Upa agreed without argument.

Goku leapt down from the cloud, landing on his feet. "Kagome?" he requested. "Would you mind sitting this one out? I can handle this guy on my own."

The priestess hesitated a beat, but nodded. "I'm jumping in if you need me, though."

But, to be honest, she kind of got the feeling that he wouldn't.

He mirrored her nod and turned his full attention on Tao. His eyes went narrow, a small growl bubbling from his lips. "Don't you ever hurt my friends again," he snarled.

The assassin sneered irritably. "You have no idea how lucky you are to be alive, much less talking. No one has ever survived my Dodon Ray; kings and peasants alike have fallen to its power!"

"My grandpa protected me," the boy stated, bringing a hand up to the hole in his shirt. "It was his four-star ball that was under my clothes!"

"Ah, yes, the missing dragon ball - which I carelessly forgot to relieve you of during our last encounter. I won't make that mistake again," Tao assured simply. "I must say, I've been looking forward to this moment... though I don't know which will be more entertaining: taking the dragon ball from you or ramming it down your throat!"

Goku's eyes narrowed even further.

"There is a thin line between bravery and stupidity, child," the man stated patronizingly. "You don't really think you'll win, do you?"

"I'll give you one last chance," the boy countered. "Give us back our dragon balls or I'll _take_ them back!"

The assassin burst into laughter. "What a vivid imagination you possess!" He held up three fingers, just a bit reminiscent of Korin when telling them of Roshi's stint on the tower. "Three seconds, that's how long you have to live."

The man darted forward with a fist reeled back, taking the initial offense this time, and swung at open air as Goku ducked it. The boy delivered a heavy blow to his stomach, sending him flying up into the air - and again, Kagome couldn't help but think that this too was familiar... to the way the man had tossed around Bora. But instead of throwing some weapon up at him while he was defenseless in the air, Goku leapt after him in a single bound to kick him against the tower.

The priestess picked up their weapons and made her way over near the Nimbus in no real hurry. It was like she had thought: her friend shouldn't be needing her help. Even the darker, older parts of her mind agreed that his progress was impressive.

"I don't believe it!" Upa gaped. "He's winning!"

Kagome chuckled as the two fighters both landed back on the ground. "Of course he is. Anything else would just be out of character."

"Your three seconds are up," Goku announced, "and I'm still here!"

Tao growled. "Yes, I see. It's only been three days, and yet your strength has increased immeasurably...!"

'Immeasurably?' her other side snickered. 'And I'd thought the cat said it was tripled.'

'Stop talking,' she shot back a bit impatiently.

'You're the one that wanted me here,' it reminded. 'It's too late to get rid of me now.'

She shook her head, willing her thoughts back into silence.

Goku grinned proudly, the expression somehow still completely serious. "I spent my time practicing for this fight! Those days at the top of Korin's Tower helped a lot."

"The sacred Tower of Korin?" the assassin demanded, glancing over at the structure with disbelieving eyes before turning back to the boy. "You climbed to the top?! Impossible! Oh, and I suppose while you were there you drank the sacred water, didn't you!"

"It took a while, but yeah," he admitted simply. "Me and Kagome both did it."

The hitman glowered at him for a moment. "I'm glad you found a way to amuse yourself with the time you had left... though it won't make any difference."

Goku shifted his stance and glared. " _Fight_ ," he demanded.

Tao smirked. "I don't fight, I annihilate! And when I'm done with you, you'll be nothing more than dust in the wind."

"Whatever you call it, you hurt people!" the boy accused. "And I'm going to stop you!"

"Big words for such a small mouth," the hitman challenged. "Whatever you learned atop that tower won't be near enough to save your hide."

Her friend huffed. "We'll see!"

"Be careful," Upa told him. "And good luck..."

"Give him hell, Goku," she murmured as her own encouragement, watching intently as the assassin charged. Tao unleashed a rain of hits, but the boy blocked every one of them - the last of which he stopped in a more... unconventional manner.

The man jumped back a few paces, staring at him incredulously. "You blocked my death-punch... with your knee!"

"Yep!" he grinned, patting the joint cheekily. "It's all I 'kneed'! Get it? Kneed!"

The assassin let out a snarl and charged once more, the blows increasing in speed but not in results.

"This is the complete opposite of the last fight!" Upa gaped.

The priestess nodded, even if the boy couldn't see it. "That's the idea."

The fight increased even further in speed, finally leading up into the air where Goku very nearly got thrown into the tower, but corrected himself at the last second. He kicked off of the structure, straight at the man - who dodged. The boy let out a panicked shout as he flew straight past the assassin, finally landing against a tree with enough force that it felled it. Of course, that still wasn't enough to keep him down and after a quick 'Ow, my head!' the struggle resumed once more on the ground.

It was more than safe to say that Goku was winning and Tao was soon bemoaning the loss of another outfit. The boy, of course, pointed out that maybe he should try focussing on his fighting and not his looks (which made the priestess snort out a laugh).

However, this also seemed to be what finally angered the hitman enough to use the same finishing move on Goku as he had in the last fight.

Which he then _caught_. Barehanded.

Really, this kid... Even rubber had a melting point! He should take better care of himself before his body just gave out on him someday!

"Ow, that burned!" he whined, blowing on his hands in an effort to cool them once the beam had dispersed.

"It's impossible," Tao stated weakly. "No one has ever withstood that attack!"

"It can't hurt me anymore," the boy announced, his chin jutting out proudly. "Just like my Kamehameha wave didn't work on you last time. I guess we're even!"

Upa cheered. "Yeah! You did it!"

The man growled and reached into the front of his pants. "Dream on!"

Kagome very nearly started shouting obscenities at him for indecency, specifically in front of a couple of kids, but relaxed temporarily when he pulled out a familiar little container and threw it into the air.

"A capsule?" Goku wondered aloud.

A longsword appeared in a cloud of purple smoke, and the boy dodged with a yelp as it was promptly swung at him. The exchange was suddenly reversed; now Goku was the one on the run again, and Tao was pursuing. He tried hiding behind a tree, but even that got sliced right through to slice off a lock of the boy's hair.

"Don't worry, boy," the man laughed. "I'm just going to be taking a little off the top!"

Kagome growled and took a step forward, but Goku stopped her.

"No, he's mine! I've still got this!"

She hesitated a moment, but knew deep down that this had become a matter of pride for him. If she stepped in now...

She gritted her teeth. "Then catch!" she shouted, throwing him his Power Pole.

He wouldn't accept her help, but maybe this would be enough to give him an edge again. And it was; he broke the blade right off at the hilt. But then he set it down again with a cocky grin spreading across his face.

"I don't need a weapon to defeat you," he declared.

The priestess decided that they were going to have a nice, long talk when this was over. This new topic, 'don't underestimate your enemies', would pair quite nicely with the previous next-up on their docket: 'being the best isn't everything'.

Tao growled. "No, you need a miracle! Now hand over the dragon ball while I still have some patience and I might let you live! Do as I say!"

"No," Goku denied, his jaw set with stubborn determination. "The dragon balls are ours, not yours! So either you give me back the ones you stole, or I'll take them by force!"

The man snarled frustratedly. "Don't be such a fool, you're just a child! Why do you want these stupid things so badly anyway?!"

"Because only the dragon balls can fix the damage you've done!" he barked, turning a glance up towards the Nimbus. "Upa!"

"Yeah?" the other kid answered.

"I made a promise to bring back your father. Do you trust me?"

"Yes!" the smaller boy replied immediately. "I believe in you, Goku!"

His eyes drifted down a bit, meeting her own, and he gave her a small smile. "Kagome?"

She held his gaze seriously for a long moment. "Do what you feel is necessary. Just... try not to get too hurt."

He beamed at her.

"Well your friends are in for a big disappointment," the assassin scoffed, drawing the boy's attention once more. They growled at one another, and the priestess really didn't like the thoughtful look that overcame the man's face or the sinister laughter that followed.

Goku blinked, dropping out of his defensive stance. "Are you just gonna stand there or what?" he asked.

"You should just be grateful for these last few moments of peace before I take what little life you lived!" Tao declared, glaring at him with a patronizing laugh.

The boy frowned and charged. "Let's get on with it!"

The man kicked a rock, sending it darting right past his face - and his eyes widened a bit when he glanced over his shoulder to follow the flightpath.

"Kagome!" he shouted, immediately turning around to help her.

"Don't take your eyes off him!" she yelled back, swatting the stone away with a flash of silver light.

But it was already too late. Tao was fifty feet up the tower, laughing away.

"No one escapes the ravages of battle, Tiny!" he called down to the boy, aura positively oozing with self-satisfaction. "Unfortunately, ours will have to wait for now while I take a trip up your precious tower! I'm feeling a bit thirsty."

They all glared up at him as he climbed.

"Why are we not going after him?" Kagome demanded. "We could catch up and stop him right now."

Goku shook his head, a deep frown etched across his features as he turned around and headed towards the fire pit. "He can drink all he wants, but he'll have to come down sometime - and we'll be waiting."

She bit her lip and thought it over as she and Upa joined him. "If Korin _leaves_ anything to come back down, maybe," she finally sighed.

He blinked up at her, stunned. "Oh, no! I hadn't thought of that!"

xxxx

A/N: And so it continues! Seriously, I adore Korin. He's just so hilarious and awesome. Thanks for reading!

Edit: 8/27/16


	16. Chapter 16

"I can't take all this waiting," Upa sighed. "There has to be something we can do!"

Goku just grinned. "There is! And I've put it off for too long."

The smaller boy immediately perked up. "I knew it! You've got a plan, right?!"

"Sure," Kagome snorted. "To eat, I'd bet."

He laughed loudly. "You really do know me better than just about anyone!"

Upa fell over for some reason.

"That's what I thought," she sighed, standing up with a catlike stretch. "Okay, go find me something to cook and I'll get the fire going. Upa, would you mind helping me collect some herbs? I have a few in my bag, but I doubt they'll be enough."

Goku cheered and ran off into the trees to find some food.

He came back a little while later with a couple of nice-sized wild hogs, drooling eagerly as Kagome cooked them and the smell of simmering meat wafted through the air around them. Once the food was done, they moved inside the tent.

Considering it was the first real meal he'd had in three days, the boy understandably tore into it with relish.

"Hey! How come you're not eating anything, Upa?" he asked after a few minutes.

"What are we gonna do?" the other boy worried subduedly. "I bet he's made it all the way up to the top already..."

Kagome nibbled on her own piece of meat and shook her head. "It'll be okay."

"No problem!" Goku assured around a mouthful of food. "We'll take care of him later!"

Upa seemed to relax. "Oh, I see," he smiled. "You have some trick planned! Otherwise, you'd be as worried as I am..."

"No tricks!" the boy denied, picking up another piece of meat.

"Oh, you can tell me," the smaller boy persisted. "What's your secret? Are the both of you going to fight when he gets back?"

Goku, sufficiently full and more than just a little tired from not only getting the bottle but the race down the tower and the fight with Tao, gave a yawn and a stretch. "Goodnight," he declared, flopping onto his back.

Upa's forehead met the tabletop.

"Nuh-uh," Kagome argued, finishing off her own meal and setting her plate aside. "We've got to put this stuff up somewhere so that it doesn't go bad before we go to bed, Goku. Upa, where did that pot that Bora was using the other day go? I'll just set this up as a stew and we can let it simmer overnight."

He was outside the tent, hurrying to bring her the water that she would need for that plan before she even finished her last sentence. Putting off sleep a few extra minutes for the sake of getting some of his friend's stew was definitely well worth it.

xxxx

Kagome was used to sleeping next to someone. It had started with Shippou, and lately it had extended to Goku - so this wasn't really anything new for her. She took up one side of the bed, Upa took up the other, and Goku was sprawled out between them with half of his head sharing her ( _Bora's_ , her brain reminded her) pillow. It was a bit cramped, but doable.

Still, she was having trouble sleeping. She wasn't actually that worried about the next day, but her reactions earlier had been a lot more... _bloodthirsty_ than she was generally used to. More often than not, she was a complete pacifist.

The jewel, however, was not. And now, now that they really were one and the same in more than just context, she was going to have to learn how to deal with that.

Goku suddenly chuckled in his sleep, prompting her to open her eyes and glance down at him. She and Upa locked gazes, the smaller boy seeming relieved to know that he wasn't the only one still awake - but they both turned back to Goku when his laughter grew in volume.

"Underwear," he snickered.

Upa shot her a confused glance.

She shook her head in apology. "No idea," she mouthed. Maybe it was just one of those preteen boy things? Souta had started getting a little weird when he'd begun approaching thirteen, too...

"Bulma, don't be mad!" her tailed friend guffawed, still sleep-talking.

Again, Upa looked utterly bewildered. Kagome, on the other hand, had an idea of what he just might be dreaming of and heaved a sigh. The kid might grow into a pervert yet.

"Uwaaah!" the tailed boy suddenly groaned, still completely out of it. "Sorry, 'Gome..."

She blinked down at him, now a bit curious just how _she_ fit into this dream but not really sure if she wanted to know.

The priestess sighed and rolled over. Instead of brooding, maybe she really should try to sleep some before morning came.

xxxx

The boy stretched his arms over his head with a small yawn, shifting into a couple of quick exercises to help wake him up. "I feel great!" he announced happily. "I slept really well last night. Did you?"

Upa frowned. "No, I couldn't sleep because I'm too worried. He's probably had the water already!"

He blinked. "It's only tap water."

"What!" the other boy yelped, stunned. "It's just regular water?!"

Goku laughed. "That's right! There's nothing special about it at all."

"But..." he glanced up at the tower.

The tailed boy popped his back, finally feeling a little less stiff. His stomach growled and he sighed. "I wish Kagome would finish her bath already so we could eat something..."

"Does she always take so long?" Upa wondered.

"Yeah," Goku admitted readily. "But she's usually pretty fast with everything else, so it's no big deal."

Suddenly, the sound of a scream drew their attention upwards just in time to see Tao fall through the air with enough force to make a crater on impact with the ground.

"It's him!" the smaller boy yelped.

The man pushed himself up with a snarl.

"What happened?" Upa breathed anxiously.

The assassin shot a glare up the tower. "I'll get you for that, fur-ball!" he barked.

Goku just smirked a bit. Apparently Kagome had been right about Korin. "You're back," he stated. "Sooner than I thought, too."

"I'm in a hurry to finish you off," the hitman admitted.

"Really?" the boy drew out cheekily. "You look kinda tired! Do you wanna rest first?"

"Of course not, you fool!" Tao growled, sliding into a fighting stance. "Now get ready to be annihilated!"

"Oh, yeah?" he jeered, raising his fists in preparation.

"Please be careful, Goku," Upa requested worriedly behind him.

"I will," the boy agreed. Kagome would get mad at him if he wasn't, and she could get _scary_ when she was mad. "And don't worry!" he continued with a reassuring grin. "We'll get him for what he did to your father."

"Thank you," the smaller of the two murmured.

"Do you have any last words?" the assassin questioned with a sneer.

"No, I don't," he huffed. "And I think we've talked enough for today!"

The man threw a clenched fist at him. "Witness the power of the sacred water!"

He smirked to himself. Really, hadn't this guy figured out that it was just regular water yet? It wouldn't have done anything!

It surprised him when the punch actually landed, knocking him off his feet.

Tao beat on him for a minute, and he didn't fight back - instead, he worked to memorize the hitman's breathing just like Korin had taught him.

"Snap out of it, Goku!" Upa called worriedly. "Oh, why did you let him hit you like that?!"

He might have tried to find some way to answer, but found himself getting kicked up into the air so high that the other boy was just a little speck on the ground far below.

"This is the end!" the assassin announced, knocking him back down to earth.

He landed with a bounce, unable to hold back the grunt of pain that tumbled past his lips at the impact.

"Oh, this is awful!" Upa wailed. "Kagome! Kagome, where are you!"

"What, what's going on!" the girl herself yelled, running out of the trees with her hair still dripping down the back of her hastily-tied shirt... and no pants on.

Uh-oh. He was going to really be in for it this time.

Tao plummeted to the ground, landing with a knee in the boy's stomach.

"Goku!" the priestess shouted, Upa beginning to sob as he covered his eyes.

There was a beat of silence, broken only by the mercenary's chuckles - and then abruptly shattered when Kagome let out an enraged scream and charged. She smashed Reikenkon, sheathe and all, against the side of his face and dropped to the ground to check on the boy. Her hands fluttered for a moment, finally landing on his torso and lighting with a silvery glow.

He could suddenly breathe a whole lot easier, but the pain would have gone away in a few seconds even without her interference.

"You little _brat_ ," she hissed, glaring tearily at him as he opened his eyes. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Stop screwing around already or I swear I'm not cooking you anything for a month!"

He gaped at her, horrified by the threat, and hurried to stand up and pat himself off. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! See? All healed! I'll win now!"

She growled at him.

"You really did get better," Goku admitted, turning back to the assassin. "You're _almost_ as strong as me!"

"Maybe when dinner's not on the line," Kagome scoffed to herself.

He couldn't actually deny it, so he didn't try to.

"I've got to be dreaming!" Tao blurted out incredulously, stumbling back a step.

The boy grinned. "I've been studying you. Your breathing gives away your next move!" he declared, rushing into a charge.

"I will crush you!" the hitman barked, aiming a counter at him.

Goku ducked right under the blow, delivering a heavy one of his own that sent the guy flying backwards. He followed it up quickly, jumping up and locking his legs around the man's neck to pummel his face in with a quick series of punches before kicking him away.

The assassin stumbled dizzily and fell over.

"Great job!" Upa cheered.

" _Ugh_ ," Kagome groaned tiredly as she stood. "You know what? I think I'm just going to go finish my bath."

"Huh?" the boy blinked at her. "You mean you weren't done?"

The priestess glowered at him. "Do I _look_ like I was done?"

He looked her over. Still dripping, shirt soaked and clinging to her form and a short ways down her thighs, no pants... "Um... I don't guess so?" he offered unconfidently.

She smacked her forehead.

Tao struggled to sit up, one hand wrapping around his bruised cheek. "Ouch!"

Goku quickly turned his attention back to the assassin and shifted into another fighting stance. "You should quit!" he growled warningly.

The man took up a defensive position for a moment, looking like he was warring with himself over something, but then went down on his hands and knees. "You win," he admitted. "I admit my defeat; please forgive me! I'm sorry." He prostrated himself, forehead touching the ground in apology. "Please... I'll never hurt anyone again."

The boy gaped at him uncertainly. "... Uh..." he glanced back at Upa, gaze also shifting up to meet Kagome's narrowed one.

"Please let me go," the hitman begged, voice choking with tears. "I'm sorry!"

Goku shifted uncomfortably. "I guess we can let you leave..." He turned to hold the other boy's eyes. After all, it wasn't his father that had been killed by this man four days ago. "Do you think that's alright, Upa?"

The smaller boy seemed just as uncertain as he did.

"Don't trust him, Goku," the priestess cut in, right as the assassin began to chuckle.

"Hey!" the boy shouted angrily, gaze darting back to him.

"Accept _this_ apology!" Tao declared, ripping a ring from a small canister and throwing it at them with an even louder laugh.

He glared at the object.

Upa screamed in fear. "It's a bomb!"

"Sayonara, you fools!" the hitman cackled, kicking off the ground and into the air.

Goku growled and launched himself towards the explosive, kicking it up after the man before it could hit the ground and detonate. Kagome slid to catch him before he could land on his face, and Tao screamed as the loud 'boom' rang out. She threw a bubble up around the three of them quickly, shielding them from the force of the wind that threatened to knock down the trees.

Finally, they all glanced up to see the last of the yellow fire disperse - with no sign of the assassin in sight.

They cheered.

"Alright!" the priestess announced after they'd taken a minute to celebrate. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go find my hakama..."

"Your what?" the tailed boy wondered.

"My pants, Goku," she sighed.

His head tilted to one side. "Oh. I was wondering why you didn't have any on!"

She groaned and walked off, leaving the two boys alone in the clearing once more.

"So... what are the two of you going to do now?" Upa questioned after a moment.

He shrugged. "Probably find the last three dragon balls."

The smaller boy frowned. "How?"

Goku grinned and pulled out the radar to show him. "See, if we push this button it'll show us where they are," he explained, demonstrating. He blinked. "Huh? That's weird. I wonder why these two are together... That must mean that someone else is trying to collect all of them, too! Huh." Several images rushed through his mind: Silver, White, Blue, and Yellow. "I know!" he declared. "This place on the radar must be the headquarters of the Red Ribbon Army! Okay, we'll go there and pick up the other dragon balls, then meet you back here."

Upa gasped. "That's dangerous! There's a whole lot of them, and I bet they're strong. Just you and Kagome might not be enough!"

The tailed boy chuckled. "But to make a wish, you have to have all of the dragon balls!" he pointed out. "Including those two."

The smaller boy frowned again, but nodded. "Please be as careful as you can..."

"Don't worry," he assured. "We'll be back real soon."

Kagome finally made her way out of the trees, fully dressed once more with her sword hanging from her sash and her yellow backpack on her shoulders. She had her hair pulled back again, and Goku couldn't help but think that it had looked nicer down.

"What happened to the backpack you got from Bulma?" he asked, shaking that thought off easily enough.

The priestess shrugged. "I managed to fit everything into this one," she explained. "I'm just glad we got the treasure all divvied out before Nimbus came and brought me to you, or we would have been having to worry about more than the Army coming after us. Krillin would have been on our tail in a second."

He laughed. It was true. "So we're ready to go?"

She nodded and crouched down to pull Upa into a hug. "I'm sure Goku's already given you the 'we'll be back soon' speech, so I'll just tell you to take care of yourself. There's still some of that stew left, and you know how to gut a fish. I expect you to eat at least two meals a day."

"Okay," the smaller boy chuckled, hugging her back tightly. "You really do act like a mom sometimes, Kagome."

She pulled away with a laugh. "So I've been told."

Really? Goku blinked to himself curiously; he'd never noticed that kind of thing. Kagome was just Kagome, and she liked taking care of people. It just seemed weird to him, trying to think of her like a mom.

"Nimbus!" he called, shoving that thought down with the other one. He was starting to feel kind of funny lately. Maybe he was getting sick.

"We'll be back as soon as we've got all seven dragon balls," the priestess promised.

The tailed boy grinned and nodded in agreement. "And then we'll get your dad back!"

Upa smiled and nodded tearily as they lifted up into the air. "Be careful!" he shouted after them. "Take care of each other!"

"We will!" he called back with a bright grin.

As soon as the smaller boy was out of sight, Kagome heaved a sigh. "Oh, geez. Now I'm going to be worrying about him until we go back."

He smiled. "But that won't be very long!" he assured. "So don't worry too much, okay?"

She returned his smile with one of her own. "Thanks, Goku."

The boy laughed. "Thanks for what?"

She turned her gaze out to the sky as they sped across it, expression softening. "For a lot of things, I guess. But mostly for being here and being my friend. I'd probably be completely lost if you hadn't found me in that desert and dragged me along on this adventure with you."

He blinked. "That's not really anything all that special," he argued. "You've helped me out loads since then!"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Well it's special to _me_ , you twerp."

He made a face.

"Uh-uh," she snickered. "I won fair and square. I still get to call you a kid."

The boy's face contorted further.

The priestess laughed, the sound bright and tinkling. "Well if you hate it that much, grow up quick and get me to stop!" she teased.

"Huh?" he questioned. "That would actually work?"

She shrugged. "We'll see. Though I get the feeling you're going to be quite the looker, so I'll probably get traded in for a girlfriend by then."

His lips curled up and he returned his attention forward with his face feeling a little warm. Maybe he really _was_ getting sick... "Nah," he denied. "You won't ever get replaced by anyone. Only Kagome can be Kagome!"

Her breath caught a bit for some reason, and she leaned over to give him a quick hug. "That, too," she sighed. " _Seeing_ me. Thank you for that, too."

"I don't get it," he admitted. "Why wouldn't I see you? Are you hiding?"

She just laughed again and gave him another hug.

xxxx

Kagome watched as the world went by beneath them, their speed increasing as they went in an effort to close the distance between them and their destination more quickly. Suddenly, a machine sped by them - and they both yelped.

"What is that?" the boy blurted out.

"A... drone?" she murmured.

"Why are you following us?" Goku asked the thing. "Just tell us! Do we know you from somewhere?"

Its engines exploded with a new burst of thrust, rushing right past them.

"Whoa!" the boy's jaw dropped. "He must be late for dinner!"

She shook her head wryly. "Is that really the only thing you can think of that would make anyone go that fast?"

He blinked up at her. "You mean there's other things?"

She couldn't help but bark out a laugh. "Come on, let's speed up a bit ourselves."

They continued on, reaching a mountainous region covered in snow. Kagome shivered just a bit and pulled her haori tighter around her, breathing a small sigh of relief when they came out of what appeared to be a tunnel and made it out to a much warmer area.

"There it is!" Goku cheered. "I've been waiting for this!"

The priestess sighed. "We still need to be careful," she pointed out. "These guys are no pushovers, remember?"

His head tilted to one side and he glanced up at her. "But we're really strong now!"

Her eye twitched. "Okay, Goku. I think it's about time we had this little chat called 'don't underestimate your enemies'. Listen up."

xxxx

"-and you can never know for sure whether someone is actually taking you seriously or not at face value," Kagome continued as they followed after the RRA helicopter. "They might be hiding a great deal of strength that you couldn't even guess at!"

His brain hurt. "But how can you tell?"

"That's the point," she explained with a shake of her head, Nimbus swooping to dodge a rain of bullets. "Sometimes you can't."

He knocked the plane out of the sky. "But then how can you know whether you need to be extra careful or not!" he yelped.

She sighed. "Well, being able to sense someone's energy helps."

"How do I do that?" he prodded.

Nimbus again swooped to avoid gunfire, and they both flattened themselves out across it a bit more. "This may not be the time for a crash-course on that!" she scolded.

"But it's a good time to talk about why we need to be careful?" he questioned as they swerved between a wave of missiles, completely bewildered. Kagome really didn't make a lot of sense sometimes.

"Ugh," she groaned. "Nimbus, we need more speed!"

The cloud responded immediately, pelting them through the sky and very nearly right into one of the missiles. They dove at the last second, weaving through the trees instead in an effort to outrun their tail, and swept back up just in time for the projectiles to explode in the forest instead of on them. Finally, the base was in sight.

They landed in less than a minute, beating their way right through the troops and running for where the radar showed the dragon balls to be.

"I wonder where they went!" Goku spoke up. "No one seems to be here!"

The pair spun around a corner, coming up on a massive blockade.

"What was I just saying?!" Kagome growled, throwing one of her bubbles around them as the soldiers fired.

"Okay, okay!" he yelped, taking them out quickly so that they could continue.

"I'll go low," the priestess offered, both of them scurrying through the halls. "You go high, and I'll follow your ki to the dragon balls!"

He nodded and leaped up on top of the buildings, running across the roofs as she went through the halls below. He took out his opponents, hearing a few explosions from inside the buildings that he assumed meant that Kagome was doing just fine.

Finally, they reached the building where the radar showed the dragon balls and he hopped in through a window, glancing over his shoulder to see his friend run out into the same courtyard that he had just left behind. The boy grinned and pulled out the radar, knowing that it wouldn't be long now until she caught up.

He blinked down at the screen, confused. It said that the balls should be right in front of him... "I guess we'll have to go higher," he sighed, looking around. "Where are the stairs?"

Goku quickly gave up on the idea of stairs and broke his way through the roof instead, beating his way through the soldiers waiting for him on the next floor. Sure they had a lot of guns and stuff, but their time up Korin's Tower had made them even stronger. This was nothing at all. He paused for a few seconds, glancing around.

"Kagome should be here by now," he murmured a bit uncertainly.

... Oh, well. She would be there soon.

He jumped up, trying to break through the roof again, and cried out when instead of going through to the other side all he got was a headache.

"Ow, ow!" he groaned, gripping his hair. "Maybe I should get a helmet..."

xxxx

Kagome blinked at the soldier standing before her. "There are actually women in this army?" she blurted out.

The soldier glared at her, holding a bag tightly to her chest. "Get outta my way, brat."

The priestess's eye twitched. "Give me one good reason. Know that if you say 'because I'll kick your ass if you don't' it will lead to _you_ getting _your_ ass kicked."

She snarled. "Look, I just wanna get outta here with my cash!"

Kagome hesitated a moment, studying the woman carefully. She didn't seem to be lying. "... Okay," she agreed, stepping out of the way.

The soldier blinked at her, stunned. "As easy as that?"

"Easy as that," the priestess agreed. "I don't want to waste any time either."

"... Hm," the woman hummed. "You're not so bad, kid. Later!"

"I'm _twenty_ , dammit!" she shouted after the woman's disappearing form.

"Don't you try lying to me!" the soldier shouted back over her shoulder with a snort.

She growled and turned, running back down the hall and stumbling a bit when there was an explosion above.

"Oh, crap," she blurted out worriedly. "Goku!"

She sped up, concerned for the boy, and took the elevator up as high as it would take her. After that, she climbed out the broken window and scaled up the side of the building.

xxxx

Edit: 8/27/16


	17. Chapter 17

Goku broke through the rubble, climbing up into another room with a short growl. They'd blown him up! That wasn't nice at all! The tall man that he'd been fighting stood there with a gun in his hand, a short man with red hair laying flat on the floor just behind him. The short man wasn't moving.

"Ah, thank goodness you're alive!" the man he'd been fighting spoke.

His eyes narrowed. "Yes, I am! Now let's finish this!"

"Listen," the tall man requested, "I'm sorry, but I don't want to fight you anymore! I'm a victim, just like you!"

"If that's really true," the boy barked, "why are you pointing a gun at me?"

"You scared me, that's all!" the soldier insisted, quickly putting it away.

This seemed... off. Kagome had told him that they really needed to be careful earlier... "Why are you being so nice to me now?" he demanded.

"I asked the commander not to hurt you, so he decided to punish me as well!" the man tried to convince him.

Goku blinked, surprised. "You fought the commander to save me?"

"He knows I don't like to fight children, so he told me that you were here to hurt him - when I learned you only wanted the dragon balls, he tried to kill me to try to cover up his lie!" the soldier told him.

"Well, why is he on the floor?" the boy pointed out curiously. "Is he asleep?"

"Yes, he was saying that he was feeling ill, so he had to lay down," the man explained with a bit of a smile. "Bad headache."

Well, he guessed that made a little sense...

"If we're not fighting anymore, then do you mind if I take the dragon balls?" he asked.

"I'm afraid the commander would miss them when he wakes up," the soldier apologized. "Say, why don't we join forces and collect them together?"

Goku frowned, feeling confused. "But the dragon will only grant the wish to one of us."

"I understand your concern!" the man assured. "But you have nothing to worry about; the Red Ribbon Army has no interest in the wish, we have everything we could possibly want! The wish is yours! All we want is to see the seven balls reunited - see, the commander! He has a soft spot for dragons!"

The boy thought it over for a second. "No, thanks," he finally decided. "I don't believe you. Besides, we promised Upa that we'd help bring his father back, and you're the reason that he got hurt in the first place!"

"My deepest apology if there's been some misunderstanding!" the soldier tried again, giving him a reassuring grin. "I'll report this to our customer service department immediately. Give us another chance, that's all I'm asking! Hand me your dragon balls and we can be partners. Wouldn't that be fun?"

Goku shook his head. "I can't trust you. I don't think you really care about me or my friends; I think you just want my dragon balls. And besides," he chuckled proudly, "I already have a partner!"

The man frowned and raised his gun, firing it off at the boy. He quickly dodged out of the way, ducking into the guy's guard and delivering a kick to his stomach. The soldier dropped the dragon balls that he was holding, bending over and clutching the area with a pained groan. The balls rolled a ways across the floor, and Goku glanced up over towards the window when he heard a knock on the glass.

"Kagome!" he beamed. "What took you so long!"

She grinned back and brought an elbow back to break through the glass, her eyes suddenly going wide as she pointed behind him insistently. He turned around just in time to get a giant robotic fist in his stomach, sending him flying against one of the walls with a heavy crash. He slumped, the sound of the window shattering making him breath a low sigh of relief. At least his friend was there with him now.

"Goku!" she shouted worriedly, joining him against the wall and helping him sit up.

"You're a tough kid alright, but you slam into a wall just like anyone else!" the soldier laughed loudly, leveling one of the robot's fists at him. "You think one little girl is going to make a difference? With your destruction, there will be no one to challenge my power!"

The priestess glared at him. "You wanna try it, pal?" she growled.

The robot fired at them, and she immediately threw up one of her bubbles before the attack could land.

"What?!" the soldier gasped. "You little-! You're using force fields, are you? Well, I know how to take care of that!"

He slammed one of the robot's fists down on them, making Kagome grunt in pain.

"H-hey!" Goku yelped, grabbing one of her arms. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

She winced. "I'm fine. Where did his dragon balls go?"

The boy glanced around, trying to find them. "I don't know!"

"Strange," the man murmured, pulling the arm back to punch the bubble again. And again. And again. "What sort of force field are you using, you brat! No technology is able to keep a charge through multiple blows like this!" he snarled, pelting them with a rain of bullets.

The priestess's face had gone pale, a trickle of sweat dripping from her forehead. "I-I guess I'm not... that equipped to handle so many physical attacks anymore," she wheezed.

"Kagome, it's okay," the boy insisted. "I can take him!"

She met his eyes worriedly, but nodded. "Be careful," she murmured, letting the bubble fall away.

Goku nodded determinedly and charged, only to get grabbed and thrown out the very window (and part of the wall) that the girl had come in through with a shout. He flew through the air, smacking against one of the other buildings and sinking to the ground with a groan.

"... Oops," he mumbled, rubbing his head sorely. "Ow, ow, ow... Kagome's not gonna like this."

The robot flew out after him, blowing a crater where he had been sitting.

He frowned. "Time to give them a taste of their own medicine!"

The boy leapt down on top of the robot, tapping it to get the man's attention and making faces at him. Again, he leapt out of the way at the last second and laughed when he ended up punching himself.

"You look silly!" he declared from his place on a new rooftop. He blinked. "Huh? Why is he turning upside down?"

His eyes went wide when something shot out at him, and he hurried to kick it back.

He gaped when it hit a mountain and blew the whole top off.

"Hey!" he shouted as the man tried running away. "Get back here!" He propelled himself up into the air, breaking right through the robot and making it explode. He grinned and laughed as he fell, calling for Nimbus to take him back down.

He evened out quickly, laughing even louder when he saw Kagome beating up the remaining soldiers. She glanced up at him with an angry look on her face, and he shuddered.

"Maybe I'll just fly around for a bit longer until she's calmed down..."

xxxx

Kagome huffed, arms crossed over her chest as she and Goku sat and studied the radar together. He'd really scared her earlier, the little brat - but she was glad that he was okay, and they did have two less dragon balls to worry about finding.

"One left!" the boy cheered, pressing the button a few times as she pushed the new balls into his backpack. "Huh?"

"Which way?" she questioned, turning back to the screen.

"It doesn't say!" he explained, showing it to her.

She frowned. "That's... weird. It's not going to be in the land of the dead again, is it?" she sighed, remembering the hunt for the last shard of the jewel. "Maybe we can find someone that can tell us something? Maybe Korin... Unless it's broken again. In that case, we need Bulma."

He nodded. "Okay, that's probably a good idea. The only problem is, we don't know how to get back!"

"Well, I guess we can try anyway," she sighed. "Maybe Nimbus could find the pervert's island if we ask it to."

He nodded happily. "Nimbus!" he called.

They both hopped onto the cloud quickly and took off.

"Hey," Kagome blinked after a few minutes of flying. "Do you hear something?"

He looked up and met her eyes, looking a bit surprised. "I do!"

They looked down as one, both gaping when they saw their friends.

The priestess shook her head wryly. "I guess we don't have to look too hard after all..."

He laughed and they went down for a landing.

xxxx

"Hi!" he greeted as they touched down, both jumping to the ground in front of the others. He blinked when he realized that they were all staring at the two of them seriously. "Is... something wrong?"

"Nothing!" Bulma growled. "We just thought you were dead, that's all!"

"We'd heard that you had decided to fight the whole Red Ribbon army all by yourselves," Krillin explained. "Thought you might need some help."

"Wow!" Goku laughed. "That's amazing! How'd you guys know all that?"

"Ah!" Kagome gasped. "That drone before. Bulma...?"

The blue-haired girl grinned proudly. "You got it!"

"This stinks," Oolong grumbled. "They're not even wounded!"

"You guys are smart," Yamcha chuckled. "I figured you wouldn't do something as foolish as that!"

Goku blinked. "But we did attack the Red Ribbon Army!" he laughed. "We beat the whole bunch and we managed to get six of the dragon balls!"

"HUH?!" the others gawked.

"Y-y-you mean you beat every single soldier in the Red Ribbon Army?" Krillin squeaked. "Just the two of you?!"

"Yeah!" the boy admitted brightly. "We almost didn't get _all_ of them, but Kagome stopped the ones that tried to run away."

"Well maybe if you hadn't been too busy playing with missiles..." the priestess huffed.

"Pu'ar!" Yamcha yelped, turning to the floating cat. "Go check out the base! Search for any sign of life!"

"O-okay!" the feline yelped, turning and flying towards the headquarters.

She came back a few minutes later, looking shellshocked.

"Yamchaaa!" she screamed. "The base is deserted!"

Everyone's jaws dropped.

"The entire base?" Master Roshi gaped. "That's unbelievable!"

"Wait, since when can that chick fight!" Oolong demanded incredulously.

Goku blinked. "Kagome could always fight," he stated. "She's just been sick, but now she's feeling much better."

"What kind of sword is that?" Yamcha gaped. "Can you even swing that thing?"

The priestess rolled her eyes and thumbed the hilt of the demon blade. "Do you really think I would be carrying around a weapon that I couldn't use?" she sighed. "And before you all go on and on about how you can't trust me again, Goku knows the whole story now. If he's still comfortable with me, I think you can get over it."

"Wait, they said that you couldn't be trusted?" Krillin squawked. "When was this!"

Kagome shrugged. "When I met them a few weeks ago," she stated simply.

The bald boy shook his head, seeming overwhelmed. "Do you think after this you guys can show me a few tips?" he requested faintly.

"It was easy once we got started!" his fellow disciple laughed.

Bulma shuddered a bit. "I can see the headlines now. Evil army, defeated by woman and child!"

"It's just one army," Launch scoffed, her hair blonde again - for a few seconds until she sneezed, at least. The nicer Launch stood there for a moment and glanced around with a soft laugh. "Silly goose! How are we going to have a picnic without any food?"

They all stared at her uncertainly.

"Let's take a walk," Pu'ar offered with a sigh, floating up to the blue-haired woman and pushing her down the path. "I'll fill you in on all the details!"

Yamcha shook his head. "I've seen a lot, but I've never heard of anyone accomplishing what you two just did!"

Kagome chuckled wryly. "You should read more of the old legends, then."

"See, Master?" Goku grinned, turning to Roshi. "I'm a lot stronger now! Just like you, we climbed up Korin's Tower!"

"WHAT!" the old man yelped. "You made it to the top? Of _Korin's Tower_?!"

The boy laughed. "We'd heard that anyone who drank Master Korin's water would get increased strength - so we asked him if we could have some! He agreed... but only if we could take it from him first, and we had to go one at a time. It took a while, but we did it!"

"You... consumed Korin's sacred water?" Roshi gaped.

Goku nodded, chuckling just a bit. "Yes!"

" _Both_ of you?!" he squawked.

Kagome shot him a look. "Is that really so hard to believe?"

"... I see..." the Master nodded faintly after a second. "That would certainly explain your increased strength..."

"What are you guys talkin' about?" Krillin wondered.

"Hey!" Pu'ar chimed in. "If Korin was in the Red Ribbon Army, what would he be?"

The bald boy blinked up at her. "Uh... I don't know. A general, maybe?"

The cat laughed. "No, silly! Everyone knows he would be a _Kernel_!" They all stared at her blankly for a moment, unimpressed. She blushed. "Uh... get it? Korin? _Corn_? Work with me here, folks..."

"Excuse me," Goku spoke up. "Bulma?"

The blue-haired girl turned down to him. "Yes?"

He frowned apologetically, holding the radar up to show her. "The dragon radar won't work! I think it's broken... Can you fix it?"

"Broken?" she repeated, one brow raised as she glanced down at him. "Why are you looking for another dragon ball anyway? I thought all you were interested in was your grandpa's four-star ball."

"We found grandpa's ball!" he assured. "But we'll need all seven if we're going to help Upa and his father."

Kagome put a hand on his shoulder and sighed. "It wasn't your fault."

He shook his head. "I still feel responsible, since the killer was really after me," he argued. "So that's why we promised Upa that we would ask the dragon to revive his father!" he explained for the others.

"Aw," Pu'ar cooed. "Goku, you're swell!"

"Yeah, and I guess Kagome might not be so bad after all..." Oolong admitted.

The priestess blinked down at the pig, surprised. And he'd been so adamant about not liking her before...

"I'll need to run a few tests," Bulma cut in, "but I think I can fix it. You'll have to wait until we get back to Roshi's house; all my tools are there."

"Thanks, Bulma!" he grinned.

He and Kagome got back on Nimbus, and they all flew back for Roshi's.

xxxx

A/N: No more Red Ribbon Army! Until we hit DBZ, at least, but... Yeah. Of course, there's no way I'm ending the chapter here. I like you guys too much. So, onward to the Fortuneteller Baba saga!

xxxx

They were sitting around Kame House, waiting for Bulma to fix the dragon radar. It had already been two days, and the blue-haired girl was obviously starting to get annoyed.

"I don't get it!" she finally groaned. "It should be working just fine!"

"But it won't show where the last dragon ball is," Goku pointed out.

"Maybe the ball is so far away that it's out of the radar's range," Oolong suggested.

"Look, if it's in this universe, my radar can find it," the blue-haired girl huffed.

"Don't jinx us," Kagome teased, lifting her glass of orange juice up to her lips and taking a sip. "It would be just our luck that aliens found out about the eternal dragon and decided that they wanted a shot at a wish."

Bulma shuddered. "Don't even joke about that kind of thing!"

Goku shook his head. "Up until just a little while ago, we could see all seven balls."

"Uh, unless..." the younger girl murmured thoughtfully. "If the dragon ball was swallowed by something, that might explain why we can't see it."

"Uh, swallowed?" Yamcha gaped. "You mean, like... _eaten_?"

"It's a possibility!" Bulma defended. "Living tissue could disrupt the dragon ball's unique electric wave, making it virtually impossible for the radar to detect!"

"Who'd eat a dragon ball?" Oolong huffed. "Because it's probably bad for the teeth."

"There _are_ certain animals that will eat anything," the blue-haired teen argued back. "But something probably swallowed it by mistake."

Kagome turned down to stare into her glass, a frown tugging at her lips as she recalled a few times in the Feudal Era where a shard really _had_ gotten eaten - and that one big time there at the end with Naraku. "You never know. Some people will do just about anything if they think it might increase their power," she sighed.

Krillin shuddered. "So if something did eat the ball, there's no way to find it?"

"That's right," Bulma confirmed. "Without a clear signal, I don't see how we can do it!"

"Uwahh?!" Goku yelped, stumbling back a step. "But we _have_ to find it! And fast..."

"Cheer up!" Yamcha assured. "Maybe that radar's just a piece of junk."

The blue-haired teen glared and growled at him.

" _Not_ a good way to reconcile with your girlfriend, moron," the priestess stated, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, the tech is good. We just have to find out where the problem is."

Bulma shot her a grateful look. " _Thank_ you!"

"We... can't give up!" Krillin insisted, sounding slightly panicked.

"Oh..." Goku groaned, slumping across the tabletop and staring at the collection of balls that they'd managed to find. "We have to find that last ball..."

Kagome put a hand on his shoulder, frowning worriedly. "We will. Don't worry."

Roshi cleared his throat, not even looking up from trimming his nose hairs. "You could visit Fortuneteller Baba," he offered. "Clairvoyant powers would be more than enough to find the seventh ball!"

Everyone turned to stare at him with wide eyes.

The priestess shuddered. "Fortuneteller, or witch?" she demanded. "Because I've had some really _bad_ experiences with witches."

"You've met a real witch?!" Krillin gaped.

" _Fortuneteller_ ; it says so right in the name," the old man huffed.

"Who is this... Fortuneteller Baba?" Bulma questioned hesitantly.

"Is that a friend of yours, Master Roshi?" Yamcha asked.

"Whenever I can't find something I've lost or misplaced," the old man stated, "I pay a visit to Fortuneteller Baba's palace." He flinched, apparently getting himself with the scissors (and Kagome was _very_ curious to know where he had gotten them from after that last incident with the bomb). "She always has the answer."

They all glanced at each other, and the mood instantly lightened.

"That's great!" Goku laughed. "So how do you get to her palace?"

The hermit pulled out an old, weathered map and showed them with a magnifying glass.

"This is a nice picture," the tailed boy frowned. "But how is it going to help?"

"It's a map, silly!" Bulma explained. "You read it! Of course, it _would_ help if we could understand the writing..."

"It's kinda weird, isn't it?" Pu'ar murmured.

"That must be the symbol of a lake," Krillin spoke up.

Yamcha also took a closer look, tracing a finger across it. "From the West Valley, it's about... fourteen miles," he interpreted. He looked up with a smile. "Alright, that's it! We know where it is; I'll go with you, Goku."

They all jolted to stare at him with a collective "Huh?"

"Sounds like an adventure!" Krillin cheered. "Count me in!"

"Me, too!" Pu'ar agreed.

The boy grinned at them. "Thanks! Let's go!"

Kagome chuckled, reaching over to poke his forehead. "Sure you don't want lunch first? I doubt we'll get an in-flight meal on the way."

He jumped a bit, eyes lighting with excitement. "Okay, food first!" he shouted, running for the kitchen with a bright laugh echoing behind him. "Then we can go!"

The priestess sat back, stretching just a bit. "Alright, he's going to be occupied for fifteen minutes or so," she stated. "This would be the time to work out all those trust issues you guys still have with me, and I suggest we do it quickly."

They gaped at her for a moment, but Krillin finally shook his head with a smile. "Well, I already trust you," he stated.

She blinked at him a bit, surprised, but shot him a teasing grin. "You're not just saying that because we wouldn't have gotten to keep any of that pirates' treasure without my bag around to carry it, right?"

He blushed. "N-no, of course not!"

"Well, _I_ still have some questions," Yamcha stated seriously.

She gestured for him to continue. "Go for it."

"Where did you really come from?" he demanded.

"A long, _long_ ways away," she admitted. "Think either alternate timeline or different dimension paired with getting tossed something like one, almost two thousand years into the future."

Their jaws dropped, another one of those collective "HUH?!"s rising up.

"Someone made a wish on something similar to the dragon balls," she explained simply. "I got caught up in it."

"What was the wish?" Yamcha questioned suspiciously.

"Ultimate power," the priestess stated. "Let's just say that this wish-granter is a lot less straight-forward than your dragon. I... didn't really get it at first, but we ended up in the desert at that point. Right in front of Goku."

The others gaped.

"But _none_ of you are going to tell him that part," she huffed primly. "He's getting a bit too cocky even without knowing about it. He's going to keep getting stronger, that much is obvious, but... he'll be happier if he decides to keep training for the sake of improving himself, and because he enjoys it, rather than if he thinks he has to be better than anyone no matter what. That's what I think."

They stared at her for a long moment in stunned silence but slowly, one by one, they started to laugh.

Bulma grinned at her. "I was just a little jealous at first," she admitted. "You coming in and taking up the role of his partner out of nowhere, when I was the one to travel with him before that. But... I think it's a really good thing now. I think maybe you were supposed to find each other like you did."

Kagome gave her a soft smile. "That might be true," she chuckled.

"Though," the blue-haired girl's grin turned impish, "he might still be a little young for you! Didn't you say you were twenty?"

The priestess groaned and slumped, even as the others started gawking over her age - and what Bulma was suggesting. "Ugh... even you?" she whined. "Seriously, what is it with everyone always assuming that I'm a pedophile! It's getting old!"

"Well, have you considered that maybe there's something to it?" the other girl teased. "I mean, you guys _are_ really close!"

Kagome smacked her forehead. "So?! He's still twelve years old!"

They just laughed at her.

xxxx

"Alright!" Yamcha announced once they were all out on the beach. "All aboard! Next stop is Baba's place!"

"Yamcha," Bulma spoke up, drawing their attention to her. "I need you to give me a plane capsule," she requested with a sigh, her expression almost apologetic. "I've decided it's time I go back home."

"What's up?" Krillin asked, glancing over from climbing into the jet. "Don't you wanna go with us? It'll be fun!"

"Fun, is that what you're calling it?!" she screeched. "Well no thank you, I've had about all the 'fun' I can stand for one lifetime! Humph!"

Kagome shook her head at the girl. "Until you start missing it, at least."

"Like that'll ever happen!"

"Oolong? You're coming, right?" Goku asked, trying to get a final head-count.

The pig squealed. "What do you think I am, crazy?!"

The boy blinked at him. "Huh...?"

"Don't worry about it," the priestess sighed. "Adventure's not for everyone, right? Even if all it is is going to see an old woman and asking for directions."

"Hey!" Oolong and Bulma both growled.

"Let's just get going," Krillin laughed nervously.

They all climbed up into the jet, Goku suggesting that they give Nimbus a bit of a break since it had been working so hard lately, and started it up.

"This'll be some good training!" Yamcha announced with an arrogant laugh.

"Good!" Roshi called back. "You'll need it!"

"Bye bye!" Goku shouted, waving at everyone, their own farewells overlapping almost into one, and they were off.

"I don't know why they were afraid," Krillin snorted once they were in the air.

"Who knows?" Pu'ar chirped. "I guess we're just a weird breed. Not everyone can stand living life on the edge the way we do! Right, Yamcha!"

"Yeah, sure," the older boy agreed distractedly. "Master Roshi didn't tell us much about this Baba character... Wonder what she's like..."

"If Master Roshi knows her, I'm sure she's nice!" Krillin assured. "He would've told us if she was dangerous."

"You got a good point there," Yamcha laughed.

"I guess there's a first time for everything!" Pu'ar teased.

Kagome, though, snorted. "Yeah, we'll see when we get there."

"What do you mean?" Goku wondered.

She just shook her head. "Nothing. I hope she's as nice as everyone's thinking, though - from my experience, old mystics are usually of the grouchy variety."

The boy decided to go ahead and not worry about it for now. It only made his brain hurt, and the scenery was too amazing to be distracted by concerns of what was to come. Even the priestess herself relaxed to join them in oohing and ahhing.

Finally, they landed in a small town on the way to get more gas.

"Corn..." Goku frowned, confused. "But Korin is a cat! Maybe it would be funnier if I didn't know him."

"It's a pun," Kagome explained. "Word-play - because 'Korin' sounds like 'Corn'."

He still didn't understand. "Sorry," he frowned. "I don't get it."

The cat slumped.

The boy looked up, getting distracted, and perked up excitedly. "Hey, look! Ice cream!" he called, hopping from his perch on one of their plane's wings.

His pants ripped, followed directly by his shirt.

"Goku!" Krillin yelped.

"Your clothes are ripping, like... real bad!" Yamcha declared.

He looked down at himself. "Aww... Boy, I guess they got worn out by all the fighting..."

The bald boy huffed. "You're sloppy."

"Well," the older boy sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and shaking his head, "I guess it's time we buy you a new outfit! I doubt this Fortuneteller Baba would even let you in the door looking like that."

"And while you're at it, buy some underpants!" Krillin and Pu'ar barked at once.

He stumbled back a step. "Huh?" he looked back down at himself with a frown. "Well, okay... But I hope they fit this well!"

"Tell you what," Kagome offered. "Let them measure you, and I'll get you some of that ice cream you were just drooling over."

The boy beamed up at her. "Well what are we waiting for?!" he laughed excitedly.

They found a tailor quickly and went inside. While Kagome was talking with the man about maybe remaking something similar to his current clothes, the other three got him to try on something else - and it was _really_ uncomfortable.

He stared down at himself, tugging at the vest unhappily as the trio laughed.

The priestess glanced over at them, her eyes going wide, and she shot them a glare. "Oh come on! What are you trying to do, make him look like an elementary schooler?" she scolded, bustling over and pulling the hat from his head. "If he's going to try street clothes, they'll have to be something easier to move around in. Like a teeshirt and maybe some jeans!"

"Huh?" he blinked up at her as she tugged off the bowtie.

"Ignore them," she instructed with a huff, pushing him towards a small curtained-off area. "Go take that stuff off and I'll hand you something to change into, okay? Sir, would it be alright if I purchased some different clothes as well for him to walk out of here in?"

"Of course, miss," the shopkeeper smiled pleasantly.

The other three pouted at her.

"Spoilsport," Krillin mumbled unhappily.

Goku did as he was told and went into the other area, Kagome quickly pulling the curtain closed behind him when he started to undress. After a couple of seconds, she passed some other clothes - a surprisingly soft shirt and a pair of shorts - through to him with the instructions to try them on.

He walked back out a second later, a bit surprised at how comfortable the new garments were when the last ones he'd tried out were so _itchy_.

"Much better," Kagome sighed. "How's the fit?"

He grinned up at her. "Much better!" he echoed.

She nodded and turned to the tailor with a pleasant smile. "Excuse me, could I please borrow that pair of scissors?"

"Certainly," the man agreed, handing her the shears.

"Thank you. Goku, come here so I can cut a hole out for your tail," she told him, waving him over. "We'll come back in an hour for the other set. You're still going to need something to fight in, after all."

"Yeah, but he's still going commando," Pu'ar grumbled tiredly as he scurried over.

"Maybe," Kagome waved her off, doing just what she had said she would and cutting out a small hole to pull his tail through. "But we can work up to changing that as he gets older. I mean, there's no real reason to rush him into something he's not comfortable with. Okay, Goku, tell me if that's wide enough for you."

He reached back and pulled his tail through, frowning just a bit. "It's still a little tight."

She nodded and snipped a bit more, and he gave a sigh of relief.

"So," Yamcha spoke up as they walked outside a bit later, Goku jumping around a bit to test the different sense of mobility in his new clothes. Kagome had even gotten him a new pair of shoes just like his old ones! "Seeing as we've got some time to kill, you wanna grab a bite to eat?" the older boy suggested.

"Good idea!" Krillin grinned up at him.

Goku laughed and hopped off the railing he'd been walking on. "Sounds great! But I'd rather take the time to go get Upa," he admitted. "This way he won't be alone, and he can go with us to get the last dragon ball! It won't take me long. Kagome, do you want to come too?You've been really worried about him."

She smiled down at him warmly and shook her head. "I'll let you go alone this time. That way I can have that ice cream I promised waiting for you when you get back."

"Sure, why not!" Yamcha agreed. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

The tailed boy grinned widely at them and called Nimbus.

"Don't take too long!" Kagome shouted after him.

"Okay!" he called back over his shoulder, laughing as the cloud sped up the higher up they got.

Of course he'd be back soon; ice cream was on the line!

xxxx

A/N: So we finally get to the last dragon ball! Updates might start getting a little less frequent in this saga because it's up to where I've already got things written out, so I apologize in advance. Thanks as always for reading!

Edit: 8/27/16


	18. Chapter 18

Kagome sighed as the boy flew off, stretching her arms above her head tiredly. "Alright, now I guess I'll go get the rest of _my_ shopping done," she told the remaining three as she began to walk off. "Don't worry, I'll run by the tailor to pick up Goku's clothes on my way back here."

"Wait!" Krillin shouted, hurrying to follow her. "Where are you going?"

She hesitated a second before turning to look over her shoulder at him. "Well, a few new changes in underwear wouldn't hurt anything," she stated, laughing to herself when he went bright red. "I'll meet you all back here later, okay?"

"O-okay..." the bald boy nodded, still blushing.

"Sure," Yamcha squawked, his own cheeks stained pink.

"Travel safe!" Pu'ar called, waving her goodbye.

She chuckled and waved back. The cat was starting to grow on her just a bit.

It was true that she would probably end up stopping by a women's clothing store as well, but she didn't actually want the others following her this time around. It would be kind of hard to explain why she was picking up parchment, ink, and a brush - not to mention looking around for some bone beads... which she was pretty sure that she wouldn't be finding anywhere, but she could still look. It was about time she expanded on her previous training.

Also, maybe she could find some new shampoo as well. Her bottle was running rather close to empty, and she was still trying to get Goku to use actual soap now and then.

Maybe she should get a capsule for toiletries. One never knew how long they would be on the road, after all... Yeah, that sounded like a good idea. Certain things could be lived without easily enough, but others were just necessary - and those handy little pills were some seriously convenient inventions.

She smiled to herself and went about doing just that, picking up a few storage capsules and things like blankets and matches. Just some items that would make things a bit easier on the two of them.

"Thanks!" she called to the last shopkeeper, smiling pleasantly as she headed for the tailor's and picked up Goku's new outfit, as well as a few extra changes of underwear in his size and a number that got incrementally bigger so that he would have something to change into as he grew. It was probably too early to introduce him to something like a swimsuit, but some new sweatbands and more sturdy shoes a size or two bigger for later on might go over well... Oh, and socks. He would definitely need some extra socks in there.

"It's nice seeing a girl so attentive of her little brother these days," the tailor smiled at her as he rang her up. "Your parents must be very proud."

The priestess smiled awkwardly. "Ah, we're not actually related..."

He blinked twice, surprised. "Oh?"

She shook her head and payed him, having sold off one of the emeralds they'd picked up in the pirate lair to a jeweler earlier to have some liquidated funds on hand. "Neither one of us has any family here. He managed to find me and help me out of a bad situation, and we've been sticking together ever since."

The man nodded slowly, accepting the money and extracting her change from the cash-register. "Well, in that case it's even more admirable," he praised gently, studying the bills in his hand for a moment before hiding them behind his back and giving her a grin. "Actually, miss, I'm not quite sure if I have enough money in here to even out your balance. Would you care to look around at a few things for yourself as well? I'll give you a discount."

Kagome's eyes widened, but the sincerity in his aura had her expression warming with gratitude. "Well, maybe a pair of street clothes wouldn't be so bad to have on hand..."

He nodded, the soft clang of coins rattling and the register closing only coming after she had turned her back to look through some of the clothes in the women's section. She chuckled softly to herself, picking out a simple green tee-shirt and black bicycle shorts as well as a few extra pairs of socks for herself. Her backpack could hold anything before, but now that she was packing capsules? Yeah. She definitely wasn't wanting in storage space.

"Thank you," she beamed gratefully at the man as he wrapped up her purchases and handed them to her over the counter. "Really, I mean it."

He waved her off. "Oh, don't worry about it. Take care of yourself, miss."

"We'll definitely came back sometime!" she called over her shoulder as she walked back out, a pleased smile on her lips.

She wondered what he would do when he found that thumbnail-sized diamond she had slipped into the pocket of his apron; she almost wished that she could actually be there to see his face.

With a slight skip in her step, she headed for the ice cream stand. She had a promise to keep up her end of, after all.

xxxx

"You know, lately it's been a lot easier to tell the difference between a boy and a girl!" he announced with a laugh, amused that he had been able to tell the difference in Upa - even better than Krillin!

"Speaking of girls," the smaller boy spoke up, "where's Kagome? You're still traveling together, aren't you?"

"Yep!" Goku assured with a nod. "She must have run off somewhere..."

The bald boy blushed for some reason. "A-ah, yeah, she mentioned... stuff."

"She went to get some more shopping done before we have to leave," Pu'ar explained, not addressing the red staining both of the older boys' faces.

He pouted, only to find a packaged ice cream being dangled in his face.

"What's got you looking so sour?" an amused, familiar voice questioned.

The boy grinned brightly and turned around. "Kagome!" he greeted, accepting the treat from her with a laugh. "Where'd you go?"

"Shopping," she replied simply, turning down to Upa with a grin. "Long time, no see."

The smaller boy grinned up at her with teary eyes, rushing to latch his arms around her neck with an excited "Kagome!"

She chuckled and hugged him back, handing him another of the ice creams that she had been carrying once he was back on his feet. "Here, I thought this might be a nice introduction to the finer points of civilization. There's enough for everyone."

"Oooh!" Pu'ar cheered, rushing forward to take hers. "Thank you!"

"Thank you, Kagome!" Krillin joined in brightly, also accepting one of the packs.

"Ah, I'm actually good," Yamcha declined. "We had a ton to eat while we were waiting."

The priestess just shrugged and handed three more ice creams to Goku while keeping one for herself. "Well, I knew to get you at least one or two extras. Guess you get three!"

He beamed and took them, his first one already finished. "Thank you!"

"Well, we did have a deal," she teased him. "Upa, do you need any help opening that? It's a little bit tricky."

"Ah, thank you," the smaller boy blushed, letting her assist him.

"So did you already run by the tailor?" Krillin asked, already munching away on his ice cream before it melted.

She smiled warmly. "I did. Goku, I'll go ahead and pull out your new clothes when we get to a place where you can change, okay?"

He tilted his head in confusion. "I can' chan'e he'e?" he questioned around his food.

The priestess shook her head wryly. "No, we'll find you a bathroom or something before we leave."

Goku didn't really get it, but nodded in agreement.

They were up in the air not too long after that, the tailed boy enjoying his new clothes as well as some of the extra snacks that Kagome had brought along. He was grateful; turning down getting food with everyone else to get his smallest friend had been a difficult decision, but she always seemed to have his back.

"We're up so high!" Upa gaped. "This flying machine's amazing!"

Suddenly, Yamcha frowned darkly. "Rough ride ahead!" he warned as they flew into a sandstorm. "Pu'ar, please tell me we're getting close!"

"It should be around here somewhere!" the cat assured.

"I can't see a thing!" the eldest boy groaned.

"Hey!" Upa spoke up. "Those look like Korin's Tower! Only they're black, and moving."

Goku sat up to see what his smallest friend was looking at. "Kagome? What are those?" he wondered.

She looked up and squeaked. "Oh, hell. Yamcha! Tornadoes, you idiot!"

"What?!" the teen shrieked, banking quickly to dodge them.

It took a bit of panicking and some tricky maneuvering, but they eventually made it through the storm and to a place that looked like what they had been searching for. They landed quickly, all of them gaping a bit.

"This place is very strange," Upa announced.

"And popular, by the looks of it!" Krillin agreed. "Check out the crowd!"

There was a long line of people waiting to go in, and they walked over to join them.

"Hi," Yamcha spoke up, looking a bit nervous.

One of the men turned around. "Yeah, what?!" he growled.

The eldest boy laughed anxiously. "Nice... weather..."

"Welcome!" a sudden, squeaky voice greeted them. "Please get in line!" a pinkish... what was that weird floating thing? continued, moving out from behind the group of men. "Quickly! Formation before information, as I always say."

Goku blinked up at it. "Hi! Is this fortune-caller Baba's house?" he asked.

The thing seemed a bit less than amused. "Teller," it corrected. "Fortune _teller_. And it's a palace, not a house! Okay, are you six together?"

"Uh, yes," Yamcha admitted. "Yes, we are."

It laughed. "Good, good! Flawless. Just wait here until I call you," it instructed, returning to the front of the line. "Enjoy the view!"

"What was that?" Krillin murmured.

"If it was supposed to be a ghost," Kagome blurted out, "this world is even weirder than I already thought. And I wasn't sure if that was possible."

"Wait, _world_?" Yamcha, Krillin, and Pu'ar all yelped.

She shot them all a look. Hadn't they already been over this back at Master Pervert's place?

"Why are all these guys so big?" Upa mumbled, hiding behind one of Kagome's legs.

"Who knows?" she shrugged. "Maybe we'll have to fight someone."

"Oooh!" Goku perked up. "Do you think they'll be really strong?"

She shrugged again. "Like I said, it's only a 'maybe' at this point."

They were all quiet for a moment.

"If anything happens," the bald boy spoke up, "just remember that I'll be behind you. Like way behind you. Like I'll be in the airplane waiting to take off."

A couple walked out, well-dressed and talking about some kind of necklace.

"... They were normal-looking, anyway," Krillin sighed, sounding relieved. "I'm sure we'll be fine!"

Yamcha frowned suspiciously.

"Alright, next group follow me!" the floating pink thing announced, drawing their attention back forward. "Remember, everyone stay together!"

The men all walked in, saying something about 'victory'.

"Those guys looked like they were headed into battle," Krillin pointed out hesitantly.

"Yeah," Yamcha agreed nervously.

"Does anyone else have a bad feeling about this?" Pu'ar squeaked.

There was a brief minute of silence, and then a bunch of screams erupted from inside.

"Hm," Kagome chuckled over all of their gasping and worrying. "Maybe there'll be a fight after all."

The others shuddered, but Goku blinked up at her. "You really think so?"

"Unless those guys went out of their way to put on a ton of makeup and props," she said, gesturing to the group stumbling out of the tunnel. They were covered in bruises and bandages, looking like they'd gotten into a serious scrap with something a good bit stronger than them.

"Heal quickly!" the pink thing chirped pleasantly, waving at them. "Come back soon!"

The men turned around with a gasp, looking horrified, and turned back around to run away into the desert as one.

The six gaped at their retreat.

The pink thing laughed brightly. "Ah, thank you for your patience," it told them. "Follow me, please!"

"Wait!" Yamcha yelped. "What happened to them? Why were they all banged up?"

It just laughed again and moved further into the tunnel. "Let's go!" it requested, laughing even more as it floated into the shadows and back out on the other side.

"Might as well," Kagome sighed, leading them off as they followed behind it.

"Hurry now, don't dawdle!" the pink thing chided them.

"This is too dangerous," Upa murmured nervously, still clutching the priestess's pants-leg tightly as they walked.

"I-I-I'm not s-scared," Krillin stated, shivering.

"K-Kagome!" the smallest boy whimpered.

"Behold," the pink thing announced, leading them into the center building. "Fortuneteller Baba!"

A crystal ball suddenly appeared in the center of the room, floating down to the center - and someone was suddenly sitting on top of it. Goku couldn't help but think that it seemed familiar somehow.

"Oh, my," the aged voice graveled. "You've brought me young ones this time!"

"So you're Fortune-seller Baba," the tailed boy spoke.

The person nearly fell off of their crystal ball. "Fortune _teller_ Baba!" they - she? He? He'd have to ask Kagome - corrected sharply.

"That's a funny name!" Goku accused.

"It's foreboding and mysterious!" the person barked.

The priestess gave a stifled snicker.

Goku just laughed a bit himself. "Okay!" he chuckled. "Can you help us find something that we're looking for?"

"Certainly!" the person agreed. "What is lost, I can find."

The boy grinned excitedly.

"Yes! This is perfect!" Krillin cheered, relieved. "You know for being such a scary lady, she sure is kind of nice!"

Lady? So that meant that she _was_ a she! That was good to know.

"Of course," _she_ continued, "there is a small fee for my trouble..."

"Oh, how much do you charge to tell fortunes?" Yamcha asked, wincing.

"Before taxes and with our coupon," she smiled, "it will run you roughly around ten billion zeni."

"WHAT?!" Yamcha, Krillin, and Pu'ar all shrieked. "Ten billion zeni?!"

Goku glanced up at them, surprised. Even Kagome's eyes had gone wide! "What's the matter? Is that a lot?"

"I beg your pardon, ma'am," Yamcha yelped, "but we don't have that much money!"

"Well," the priestess murmured so low that even Goku almost didn't catch it, "not in _cash_ , at least."

"Don't you fret, young man!" the fortune-seller - uh, teller? assured with a grin. "We have an alternate method of payment." She turned her crystal ball around, looking back at them over her shoulder as she began floating away. "Come along, follow Baba."

"Hey, wait!" Yamcha called. "Where are we going?"

Still, they trailed after her.

"I don't like this," Krillin whispered nervously.

"Just be prepared to run at my signal," the eldest boy instructed at the same volume.

Finally, they came to a stop beside what looked like an arena.

"Here's how it works," Baba described. "Your group will do battle with my fighters, one-on-one. If your team-member wins, they will move on to the next match; if they lose, another in your team will resume the battle. This will continue until one side wins. If you defeat all six of my fighters, I will tell your fortune for free!"

They all brightened.

Goku shot Kagome a bright grin. "I guess you were right after all!"

"Is that it?" Yamcha laughed. "Piece of cake!"

"Fighting is what we do!" Krillin chimed in excitedly. "We're practically experts! You don't know who you're dealing with. Three of us have actually participated in the World Martial Arts Tournament - very successfully, I might add! So your crew should be no problem."

"Well," the old woman smirked. "Guess I'm in the presence of greatness! I should strive to make this challenge worthy of your skills..." She laughed.

Goku was just looking forward to having a fight.

xxxx

Kagome sighed, eyes sharp and cautious as the old mystic explained the rules to them. This just seemed... too simple. There had to be some kind of catch.

"Wait, let me get this straight," Yamcha grinned, obviously not following the same line of thought. "You want us to fight your six guys in a series of one-on-one matches, and if we win you'll tell us our fortune for free?"

"That's right," the old woman agreed. "You're correct. But I warn you; think this through carefully. You are children and these are no ordinary fighters."

"I'm no child," the eldest boy argued. "And my friends may be small, but they can handle themselves - we're prepared for your challenge. Right?"

"You do remember that I'm older than you, right?" the priestess huffed.

All but Goku and Upa gaped at her.

"What?" she cocked a brow at them. "Bulma already outed me as being twenty."

"A-anyway," Krillin cleared his throat awkwardly, "of course we're ready! I say bring it on. We can take 'em!"

"I'd like to help you," the smallest boy admitted. "But I left my spear back home..."

"I prefer to be a spectator on this one," Pu'ar murmured.

"Don't worry, you two," Kagome assured them, giving both an easy smile. "I'll cover your fights for you."

The kid immediately relaxed. "Oh, thank you!"

The cat seemed a little more... hesitant. "Are you sure?"

"Hey!" Yamcha interrupted. "No offense, but I don't think we're actually going to need anyone else to fight with me, Krillin, and Goku here to handle everything."

She stared him down blankly. "Is it because I'm a girl that you think I'm weak?"

Goku tilted his head to one side, not understanding. "But Kagome's really strong...?"

Upa nodded in agreement.

The eldest boy shifted awkwardly. "Just... Can we get started already?"

The tailed boy nodded again, this time a bit slower. "Okay," he said, turning back to Baba with a more relaxed grin. "Looks like it'll be the four of us!"

The old woman smirked, her expression almost sadistically amused. "So the four of you brave souls think you can take on my six warriors?" She laughed aloud. "Now this I've got to see!"

"I know the odds are uneven, but don't worry - we'll go easy on 'em!" Krillin boasted.

"And what are the rules of the fight?" Yamcha checked.

"It's very simple," the fortuneteller explained. "You'll continue until one person either gets thrown into the lake or gives up."

"You're right," the eldest boy agreed. "It is quite simple! I like it that way. Losers swim."

"I sure hope your fighters are ready to take a bath!" the bald boy chuckled.

Kagome gave a sigh. "Okay, I need to remember to have the 'don't underestimate your enemies' talk with these two..."

Baba just laughed. "Well, what fine spirits! Now which one of you is going to fight first?"

Krillin stepped up immediately. "Come on! Isn't it obvious?"

"Splendid," the old mystic snickered.

"Hey, Krillin!" Goku shouted. "Good luck!"

"Yeah, well, get comfortable!" the bald boy laughed. "You might be there a while! There's going to be six wet fighters when I leave the ring," he bragged, doing some quick stretches.

"Just put them down quick," Yamcha ordered.

"Don't worry," the boy snorted. "It's me! I remember everything from the last tournament, including the roar of the crowd!"

"Fangs, the vampire," Baba called over her shoulder. "Come forth!"

Kagome blinked, eyes widening a bit. Slowly, she brought a hand up over her mouth... and started chuckling. Looked like this might be a good chance to find out whether or not her abilities still had that holy tilt to them...

"Fangs the vampire?" Krillin repeated. "You gotta be kidding me!"

The old mystic just laughed, and a small bat flew out of the building behind them.

"A _bat_?" the bald boy gawked. "This is a joke, right?! I'm a fighter, not a zookeeper!"

The priestess scoffed. "Stop looking with your eyes!" she grumbled.

"What do you mean?" Goku asked, turning up to look at her.

She just pointed back towards the ring. "Watch."

The bat disappeared in a cloud of smoke, replaced by a cackling man wearing some kind of boxing equipment.

"Whoa," the tailed boy gaped. "How did he do that?"

"Transformation," Kagome explained, feeling almost a bit disappointed that the vampire's aura was so... _weak_. Then again, maybe that had something to do with being a creature of darkness out under the sunlight... "Remember what I told you about demons? This guy's like the retarded cousin of a bat demon. He's got two forms."

"Oooh," the boy gasped, understanding.

"D-de... mons?" Yamcha repeated, staring at her disbelievingly.

She shot him a smirk. "Oh, I'm sorry. You still don't know my old profession, do you?"

"Whoa," Krillin squeaked. "That guy needs a tan!"

"He's a _vampire_!" the priestess called loud enough for the bald boy to hear. "What did you expect?"

"... Wait," the boy yelped, turning to look at her. "You mean... an a- _actual_ vampire?!"

"It's right in the name!" she huffed.

Krillin gave a visible swallow. "Uh, is it too late to just pay her?"

Goku laughed. "Don't be silly, Krillin! Where would be the fun in that?"

"Just ignore her!" Yamcha suggested, shooting her a glare. "She's messing with us!"

She raised an unimpressed brow at the teen. "Uh-huh... I guess we'll see about that."

"Now let the match begin!" Baba announced.

The bald boy shifted hurriedly into a fighting position.

"Ready!" the old woman grinned darkly. "Set! And... Go!"

Kagome sighed. This wasn't going to last too long. Regular humans, no matter how much they trained to defend themselves against _other humans_ , just wouldn't be prepared for this kind of thing. Oh, well - at least she would be there to heal him when he got dragged off the platform. The boy quickly fell on his face, and then started taking hits. He was letting himself get frustrated too easily; 'Fangs' over there was using it to his advantage, and shifted into his other form to take to the air.

"I don't get it, Kagome," Goku spoke up, tugging on her hand without taking his eyes away from the fight. "Why did he turn into a bat again?"

"He's trying to throw Krillin off his game," she explained, wincing slightly and giving his fingers a squeeze. "Make him uncomfortable, get him to stop thinking everything through... and then he'll strike the moment his guard is down."

It was working, too. The boy couldn't hit the smaller opponent no matter how many times he swung, and it was obviously agitating him.

"Calm down, Krillin, and breathe!" Yamcha shouted. "Just concentrate on his movements and focus!"

The priestess growled a bit. "Yeah, because distracting him further is _really_ helpful!"

The eldest boy snarled at her. "Hey, I'm just being useful! You should try it sometime!"

Her back went stiff, her eyes narrowing. That was just _way_ too close to something that Inuyasha would've said.

"Look out!" Goku yelled, drawing her from her thoughts.

The vampire had dived him from behind, grabbed Krillin... and sunk his fangs right into the boy's shiny head. The others tried giving further pep talks, but Kagome winced and squeezed the tailed boy's fingers tighter.

Krillin finally got loose, but... It was a bit late now. He had probably lost too much blood to continue anymore.

Her theory was proven correct when the kid tried standing, only to start swaying.

He brought his hands up to his head, squawking when they came away with blood on them. "W-what is this!" he screamed.

"What's the matter?!" Yamcha shouted. "Are you alright?!"

The vampire laughed loudly. "Thanks, I skipped breakfast! Are you free for lunch? You can be the main course! Mmm, yummy!"

Krillin stumbled woozily.

"You've lost a lot of nutrients," Baba spoke up, the weird little pseudo-ghost next to her holding up a blood bag. "You need to be replenished. Give up, and you will be restored!"

"You're supposed to fight!" the boy barked. "Not eat me, Fang Face!"

Blood started squirting from the bite marks.

"Easy, Krillin!" the eldest boy yelled up to him. "She's right, your head looks like a big tomato! Now settle down!"

"T-think happy thoughts!" the bald boy yelped, bringing his hands in front of his face in an almost meditative clasp. "Happy thoughts, happy thoughts!" Slowly, the blood-flow slowed down to a stop. "There..."

Goku started laughing. "That's a neat trick, Krillin! From here, it almost looks like you have some hair!"

Yamcha choked on a laugh.

"Shut up!" the bald boy roared, his concentration breaking and the blood flowing once more.

"Oh, no!" the eldest boy gasped. "He's leaking!"

Krillin swayed. "I-I don't feel so good..."

"Forfeit!" Kagome called up to him. "Krillin, you just weren't prepared for this! There's no shame in admitting that!"

It was too late. The vampire shoved him into the water.

"Fill him up, ghost," Baba instructed over 'Fangs's laughter.

The boy was quickly fished out, and the needle of the blood bag attached to his arm. He was still too pale, but his color was slowly starting to return.

"He'll be good as new," the ghost assured them pleasantly.

"Krillin!" Goku worried. "Are you okay?"

"Hang in there!" Yamcha instructed, voice colored with concern.

Kagome frowned darkly, moving up onto the platform beside the boy. "Excuse me."

She filled her hands with a small dose of ki, giving him a little jolt of it so that he would recover faster. His breathing eased.

"Wow!" the ghost yelped, scurrying away from her. "That felt weird!"

"What happened?" Goku questioned as soon as his friend's wounds were bandaged up. "Didn't you wanna fight all six?"

Krillin growled at him. "That's what I was doing before you broke my concentration!"

The priestess picked him up by his collar and dropped him on his butt beside the tailed boy. "Enough. He's mine now; go rest."

"Hey!" Yamcha shouted. "You seriously think you can take this guy?! He beat Krillin!"

"Krillin has been defeated," Baba spoke. "You will be the next to challenge my fighter?"

"Yes," Kagome stated simply, straightening out and ignoring the eldest boy's shouts for her to let him handle it.

The old woman laughed. "Very well, then! I like that decisiveness!"

The priestess cracked her neck, stretching out her back a bit. "Thank you. Can we begin now?"

"Go, Kagome!" Goku cheered.

"Don't do anything stupid and get yourself killed!" Yamcha yelled at her.

She fought the urge to flip him off.

Baba smirked. "Hmph. Let the match begin!"

The priestess smiled at the vamp, almost amused by his charge. "Normally, I would give you a chance to back out," she informed him conversationally. "But you see, then you went and snacked on Krillin. I don't like it when my friends get hurt."

'Fangs' just laughed. "So you give me another free meal? Well, thanks for the treat!"

'What an _imbecile_ ,' her other side hissed darkly. 'We should teach the blind fool a lesson on self-preservation...'

Her smile became more dangerous at the very suggestion and she quickly sidestepped him. So many people had been underestimating her lately; she was getting sick of it. "Hey, you were at least a little human at some point right?"

The vampire scoffed and chased after her. "What does that have to do with anything! Hold still!"

"Well, it just might save your life!" she grinned brightly.

"Wait, what does that-"

She slammed a reiki-charged fist to his jaw, sending him flying through the air with a shrill scream. He quickly tried changing back into a bat to fly away, but she brought her hands up in front of her and threw a flat barrier up right smack-dab in the middle of his singed face.

He squeaked all the way into the water, making a nice-sized splash.

Goku laughed excitedly, cheering for her. "That was great!"

Upa and Pu'ar joined in, though Yamcha and Krillin were too busy gaping at her.

"... Hmm," Baba hummed, her eyes wide. "What are you, girl?"

She stuck her tongue out at the old woman. "Like I'm gonna tell you! Why don't you just bring out your next fighter already?"

The old woman's lips curled up. "Hm, vigor. I like that. But I wonder if you would be so anxious if you knew who you were about to fight... Krillin was overly confident as well, and look what happened to him!"

Kagome couldn't quite fight a smirk. "So long as your team's made up of guys like that, I don't think I'll be running into any problems."

"Kagome?" Goku requested, drawing her attention. "Let me fight with you?"

She blinked back at him, face softening into a smile. "I'm sure you could kick all of their butts," she admitted. "But there's no guarantee that they won't step up their game here pretty soon, you know? We need at least one person in the reserve that's ready for anything."

"HEY!" Yamcha growled, offended.

She didn't really care. She'd gotten to know Bulma pretty well and - while she liked to tease the girl a bit - did think of her as a friend. Bulma's boyfriend, on the other hand? Well, now she wasn't so sure about _him_ yet. He still had a ways to go if he wanted any hope of proving himself to be something other than a jerk and a half.

Goku gave her that kicked-puppy face that was nearly impossible to resist, and she tried not to wince. "How about this," she sighed, "I'll take on the next fighter, then we take on the two after that together - _if_ Baba allows it - and then you get the last two all to yourself?"

"No way!" the eldest boy howled. "You think I'm just gonna sit back and do nothing?!"

Kagome stared down at him and groaned, turning a long-suffering glance back toward the old mystic. "You said earlier that if a fighter won a match, they would automatically go on to the next one until they lost. Would it be alright to switch out for this one and let the idiot here get a bit of exercise just in case we all have to go back in the same plane?"

Yamcha snarled at her.

The fortuneteller sighed and shook her head wryly. "Just this once, I will consider it... _If_ you answer my earlier question. What are you?"

The girl hesitated a second, watching the old woman carefully. Finally, she gave a sigh of her own. "I tell you what I am and Yamcha gets to go in without our team taking a penalty?" she double-checked.

The old woman nodded. "Just this once," she repeated. "Perhaps as a bonus, I may even allow the boy's idea later and let the two of you to team up against one of my fighters."

Kagome walked over to the end of the arena, dropping down next to Goku and giving the eldest boy a look that said quite plainly 'You had better be grateful for this, you bratty little twerp!' before turning back up to Baba. "I'm a priestess," she admitted simply. "Now, let's get this next match going already."

She ignored the gaping of Krillin and the old mystic (as well as the ghost), together with Yamcha and Pu'ar's questions of what a priestess was supposed to be, and sank down to sit beside Goku.

He grinned down at her, their heights reversed for the moment. "That was nice."

The priestess shrugged, tugging her backpack over behind her so that she could recline against it. "He was getting annoying," she huffed.

The tailed boy just laughed.

xxxx

Edit: 8/27/16


	19. Chapter 19

"So," Yamcha smirked, staring Baba down up on the platform. "Let's go. I hear your lunch is getting cold!"

Goku munched away happily on one of the sandwiches that Kagome had pulled out of her bag shortly after joining them back down on the ground. She'd been fussing at Krillin to eat one of the roast beef ones for a couple of minutes, arguing that he needed to get his iron count back up - whatever that meant.

"You go, Yamcha!" Pu'ar cheered around a mouthful of tunafish. "Knock their lights out! Kagome, are there any more of these?"

"Sure thing," the priestess confirmed, tossing her one. "Hey Baba, did you want one?"

The fortuneteller stared down at her for a second, stomach growling. "... Is there perhaps any deviled ham?"

Kagome shook her head wryly and rooted around in her bag for a bit. "I don't think so, but there's ham salad."

"Good enough," the old woman nodded gratefully, floating over and accepting the food. "This will at least tide me over until I can get back inside," she huffed, returning once more to her place above the arena.

"ENOUGH!" Yamcha screamed impatiently. "Let's get on with the fight!"

"Don't worry!" Pu'ar called. "I'm saving you some chicken salad!"

The eldest boy groaned. "Look, are we gonna fight or what? Bring out my opponent!"

"Careful, my friend," Baba snickered around a bite of her own sandwich. "Pay attention; your opponent is already here!"

The teen's eyes went wide and he immediately looked around. "Huh? W-where?"

"I say it again: you boys need to stop looking with your eyes," Kagome scoffed.

"I don't see anyone!" Yamcha barked at her irritably.

Goku was starting to get the feeling that those two didn't exactly get along so well. He didn't understand why not, but he wasn't in a hurry to get in the middle of it either.

"That old lady can't be trusted!" Krillin huffed.

Suddenly, Upa gasped. "Look at that!" he announced, pointing at...

"Uwaaah," the tailed boy gaped. "That's weird! Your opponent is a bug?"

"A _bug_?!" the teen repeated, seeming offended. "Ugh, maybe Kagome should have just taken this one after all!"

The priestess in question scowled. "Asshole."

"Of course it's not a bug!" the fortuneteller shrieked.

"And all this time I thought you didn't have a sense of humor," Yamcha snorted. "Come on, Baba, joke's over!"

"Do I look like I'm capable of humor?!" the old woman scowled. "Hey, Brown Eyes. The reason you can't see your opponent is because he's _invisible_!"

"What?!" the eldest boy yelped.

Goku blinked twice. "What's invisible?" he wondered.

"It means something that can't be seen," Kagome explained, handing him a bottle of water and another sandwich. "So hopefully tall, dark and pig-headed knows how to fight with more than just his eyes, or it's going to be my turn again sooner than I'd expected."

"Shut up!" the teen shouted back at her.

Goku just laughed and tore open the packaging on his food to keep eating. It was almost funny how much they bickered with each other.

"Let the match begin!" Baba yelled, interrupting them.

Yamcha immediately crouched into a defensive position, his attention back on the ring.

"Kagome?" Pu'ar chirped worriedly. "Why don't you like Yamcha?"

The priestess sighed. "... Honestly? I guess it's because he reminds me a bit of my ex. It makes me twitchy."

"EH?!" the cat and Krillin both gawked.

"E-e- _ex_?" Pu'ar squeaked.

Kagome nodded silently, gaze distant though her eyes didn't leave the platform. "Though I suppose we weren't ever officially together," she murmured. "Maybe it would be better to just... call him an old friend, or something..."

The tailed boy frowned and wiped his hand off on his pants to reach over and take one of hers with it. She jolted a bit, turning to meet his gaze with wide eyes. He grinned up at her reassuringly, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief when she visibly relaxed and gave his fingers a grateful squeeze.

Suddenly, a voice laughed. "I'll give you a guess which hand I've got behind my back. Is it the left?"

The teen let out an "Oof!" and lost his balance, quickly regaining it.

"Or the right?"

Again, he cried out as he was thrown backwards to land on his back.

"Oh, no!" Pu'ar wailed. "Yamcha!"

The eldest boy pushed back up into a sitting position, shooting a glare around the ring. "Show yourself, you lousy coward!" he growled, voice a bit weak and shoulders shaking.

Baba laughed.

"Stop trying to find him with your eyes and use your other senses, idiot!" Kagome yelled at him as he retook a fighting stance only to get thrown back out of it.

He lashed out behind him, but hit nothing. "And just how do you suggest I do that?!"

She groaned and palmed her face as he continued swiping punches and kicks aimlessly through the air. "What did I _just_ suggest? You have _other_ senses, genius!"

The teen ignored her and continued swinging.

"I don't get it!" Goku admitted. "How is he supposed to fight someone he can't see?"

"He's not!" Krillin growled. "That's the point, it's dirty fighting!"

"The first step would be to stop trying to use his eyes," Kagome sighed tiredly. "Like I've been trying to tell him from the _beginning_. Listen for the opponent, maybe even wait until you're hit to grab hold of them since they just _showed_ you where they are... In your case, Goku, you could even try and smell them out. Not all of his senses are being deprived, just his sight. There are a _million_ different ways around that."

"That's it!" the bald boy suddenly shouted.

"What's it?" the tailed boy questioned.

"Go find Master Roshi and bring him back here!" Krillin instructed urgently. "And Bulma! We'll need her, too!"

The priestess shot him a look. "You didn't hear a thing I said, did you?"

He blinked up at her. "You said something? Anyway, Goku, just go!"

"If you say so..." the tailed boy agreed slowly, turning his attention skyward and calling for Nimbus. He hopped up on the cloud and took off without any more questions.

Later on, he was going to have to ask Kagome more about that 'using your other senses' thing. It sounded really handy.

xxxx

Kagome groaned. For about five seconds, it had seemed like Yamcha was finally using his ears - and then Baba started belting out some serious caterwauling.

"Wait," Krillin blurted out. "I know! Go, invisible guy!"

"Hey!" Pu'ar hissed at him. "We're rooting for Yamcha, remember?!"

"Stop, Krillin!" Upa demanded.

"Yeah, Invisible!" the bald boy just continued. "Win!"

The man laughed, sounding pleased and immediately giving away his position to the teen - who, of course, quickly rushed in to exploit it and land a few hits on his opponent, sending the other fighter flying.

"That's more like it!" Krillin laughed.

The priestess blinked at the boy twice, finally barking out a laugh of her own. "Oh, you are _diabolical_."

"Neat trick, Krillin!" Pu'ar complimented. "Go, Invisible!"

"I like your hat!" Upa joined in.

"Oh, stop it," the man demurred.

"How could you tell he's wearing a hat?" Kagome wondered as Yamcha darted in to land a few more kicks.

The smallest boy shrugged, looking embarrassed.

"Zip it, you idiot!" Baba snapped at her fighter, sounding cross. "They're playing to your vanity! Don't answer them!"

"Yes, ma'am," the man responded, voice drooping with the scolding.

Again, Yamcha moved in and smacked him.

"Your words betray you," the old mystic groaned. "Silence is your best weapon! Use it!" The fighter hurried to do so, shutting up and focussing back on the fight to start beating on the teen again. "There," the fortuneteller huffed. "That's much better."

Kagome frowned. And now the boy was getting his butt handed to him...

"Tell us how cool you are!" Krillin shouted.

"Say something!" Pu'ar yelled.

"See-through, speak!" Upa tried.

"Ha!" Baba huffed. "You're just wasting your breath, kids; that trick has been played out!"

Kagome sighed and stood up, a frown tugging at her lips as she watched more seriously. "I hope that plan of yours comes through, Krillin," she murmured. "This isn't looking good."

The old mystic started singing again.

"Hey!" the priestess shouted at her. "I thought you said that there could be no help from outside the ring!"

"Help? Who's helping?" the fortuneteller scoffed. "I'm merely marketing!"

Kagome ground her teeth as the older woman continued.

"I don't know what hurts more," Yamcha coughed as he was given a second's reprieve. "Getting beaten by an invisible man, or listening to your awful voice!"

Baba grinned darkly. "I _can_ make the pain end right now; just give up!"

The teen growled weakly. "What, and miss the next verse? No way!"

"Krillin!" Goku shouted with a laugh, finally flying in on Nimbus with Roshi and Bulma both (screaming) in hand. "I'm back!"

"Well, it's about time!" the bald boy retorted, sounding relieved.

"Huh?" the old mystic blinked. "What's this?"

The trio landed quickly, Bulma crashing on her rear as the other two landed on their feet without any trouble.

"Alright!" the blue-haired girl growled, pushing herself upright. "Someone had better start talking now! What is going on, and why have I been dragged into the middle of it?!"

"Nice feather," Roshi sighed, noticing Upa. "What's this about?"

"I know how much you like games, Master Roshi," Krillin explained. "I just wanted you to come watch Yamcha, that's all!"

They both turned their attention to the platform.

"Uh... you brought me here to watch Yamcha dance?" Bulma demanded. "I don't know what you're up to, Yamcha, but this is not my definition of a good time!"

"I promise I'll explain everything in a second!" Krillin promised. "Now just stand here. And Master Roshi, you just come stand over here for a second!" he instructed, moving the old man in front of the blue-haired girl. "Kagome, would you mind coming over here and standing next to Bulma?"

The priestess watched Krillin curiously, waiting for him to go through with whatever it was that he was planning, and moved to do as she was bid. "If this doesn't serve a purpose, I'm going to revoke your lunch privileges."

The boy swallowed visibly and gave a nervous laugh.

"Yamcha is no king of dance," Bulma ranted. "But anything is better than this!"

"Not from where I'm standing!" the bald boy argued, his place right in front of the two girls between them and the old pervert. "Alright! Master Roshi, please give me your undivided attention!" he requested.

"Don't get pushy," the master harrumphed. "This had better be good!"

"Now here they come!" Krillin announced, jumping up on the edge of the platform. "We're only gonna get one shot at this!" He paused for a moment, letting the fight get closer... "Okay, now!" he shouted - and Kagome could suddenly feel her hakama get yanked down, just as she saw the collar of Bulma's top pulled below her breasts.

Roshi let out a scream, a torrential nosebleed shooting out behind them.

The priestess gave a loud shriek and quickly pulled her pants back up, Bulma fixing her own clothes beside her. With a growl, she completely ignored the fight and lifted Krililn up by the back of his shirt. She was just glad that her underwear hadn't gotten yanked down as well, but that (and the fact that she could hear Yamcha winning) still wasn't enough to make up for the fact that she'd just had her legs flashed for anyone to see.

... Again. At least it hadn't been something entirely inappropriate like getting walked in on when she was bathing. Again.

" _Pray_ ," she growled.

"W-w-wait!" the boy squeaked.

"Oh, don't get started without me!" Bulma snarled, crowding in beside her.

"I understand you're upset!" Krillin shrilled desperately. "But I just want you to know one thing! I love you!"

They both smacked him upside the head.

"Wait," Goku spoke up as Kagome dropped the bald boy, "which one of them?"

He stumbled around a second, tongue hanging out and his eyes crossed. "Y-yes...?" he stuttered uncertainly.

"Boy, you've got some nerve pulling a crazy stunt like that!" Roshi barked, his nose still covered by a handkerchief.

"Forgive me, Master," Krillin winced. "I was just trying to help Yamcha..."

"It was reckless!" the old man scolded, leaning in to add a low, quick "And I loved every minute of it!" and pat the boy's head approvingly.

The girls both gave a short growl.

"Your team is clever," Baba praised them. "But! That won't save you from my remaining forces!" she laughed.

Finally, Yamcha turned around. His eyes widened. "Bulma! Master Roshi! I didn't know you were coming!"

"Neither did we," the old hermit admitted, giving a quick 'v' with his fingers.

The blue-haired girl huffed and looked around. "This is a strange setup for a fortuneteller. Krillin! Is this Fortuneteller Baba's?"

"That's right," the bald boy confirmed.

"I see," Bulma hummed. "Well if her business is telling fortunes, why's she got you guys fighting in an arena?"

"Actually, Baba's doing us a big favor here," he explained. "You see, normally it costs a lot of money to use her services."

"So... she takes it out of your hide?" the girl deduced sarcastically. " _That's_ a bargain..."

The old mystic sneezed.

"If you can't afford to pay her fee, she gives you the option of battling her six fighters," the boy continued. "If you can defeat them all, she'll tell your fortune for free!"

"Six?" Roshi repeated. "Strange, it used to be five."

"We're having a special this week," the old woman scoffed.

The man sighed. "Yup. My sister is a shrewd business woman..."

They gaped at him.

"Hey, what do you mean by sister?" Yamcha questioned.

"I mean Baba is my older sister," Roshi shrugged.

"'My older sister'?!" the others echoed shrilly.

"You look alike!" Goku grinned. "Especially the beard!"

Kagome smacked a hand over her mouth to try and keep from laughing.

"That's not funny, Goku," Krillin scolded.

"Okay, this is weird," Bulma announced sourly. "Ugh. But that does explain why she lives in the middle of a desert."

The old man rubbed at his face with his handkerchief. "Touché..."

Baba approached them. "Well, look who showed up," she drawled mockingly. "We could have used you last week when we moved Mother! _And_ you missed my birthday again!"

"Happy birthday," the hermit recited awkwardly.

"Master Roshi?" Krillin called, getting the old man's attention. "Since you two are related, maybe you could put in a good word for us - and she could tell our fortune without the need for any more fighting!"

"That's right!" Bulma beamed. "Family helps each other out!"

"No more fighting sounds fine with me," Pu'ar admitted.

"That sounds great!" Upa joined in, Goku nodding along in agreement.

"Really?" Kagome blinked down at the tailed boy. "I would've thought that you wanted to fight anyway."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but we really do need to revive Bora... We can always visit later!"

She nodded in understanding. "Got it."

The old mystic snorted. "Are you kidding me? For family, I charge double!"

"What?!" Roshi yelped. "You'd refuse your own brother?"

Baba smirked. "You bet!"

"Hey, sounds good to me; this is great for my training!" Yamcha announced.

"Then let's get on with it!" the old woman announced. "For our third match, we're going to need a change in scenery." She turned around and headed for the building behind her. "Follow me."

They did so, each hopping up onto the platform and trailing in a line.

Bulma, at the end of the pack, heaved a sigh. "I can't believe in my life this is normal."

Kagome heard her and barked out a laugh. "Oh, trust me - this is nothing," she assured over her shoulder. "You weren't even here for the vampire."

"The _what_?!" the younger girl yelped.

"So, uh, how about loaning your little brother some cash?" Roshi requested, his attention on Baba.

"You still haven't repaid the last money I loaned you!" the old woman scoffed, glancing back at him with a slight glare. "Ten zeni isn't much, but with thirty years' interest I could buy myself a new crystal ball!"

"Darn," the old man slumped. "I was hoping you would've forgotten about that..."

"I never forget," the woman huffed sourly, turning eyes back forwards. "Especially money I lend deadbeat brothers!"

"Sure," the hermit murmured weakly. "Check's in the mail."

"How old are you, anyway?" Goku questioned.

"It's impolite to ask a lady her age," the mystic sniffed.

"Right..." the tailed boy agreed. "So how old are you?"

Baba very nearly slipped right off her crystal ball, and shot a glare back at him. "Why, I never-! Who do you think you are?! You should learn some manners!"

"That means she's old and doesn't want to admit it," Kagome told him unrepentantly.

The boy blinked up at her, both ignoring the fortuneteller's spluttering. "Oh. Why?"

She shrugged. "Because a lot of people think that after you hit a certain age-"

"Goku happens to be one of my pupils!" Roshi informed the mystic, interrupting the girl and trying to distract his sister from her livid rant.

"That's right!" the boy admitted, grinning widely.

"Well, _that_ explains it," Baba grumbled, righting herself on her perch once more.

They walked inside, the decor made up of dark colors and skull motifs. Kagome blinked up at the spiral staircase, thinking that this looked a lot like one of those fake haunted houses that got set up at festivals.

"Where exactly am I going to be fighting?" Yamcha asked as they followed the old woman up the stairs.

"In the Devil's Toilet," Roshi sighed.

"Whoa!" the boy shuddered. "That doesn't sound good at all! What is it? Do you have any advice you could give me?"

The hermit chuckled. "Yeah, sure; if I were you, I wouldn't fall in."

"Oh?" the teen murmured, seeming uncertain. "Well, thanks for the warning..."

"Don't mention it!" the old man laughed as they continued walking.

They came to a stop at the top of the landing, and Baba gestured at a large wooden door with another skull shaped into the handle. "The fighters must enter through this door," she explained.

"Alright," Yamcha agreed, still not looking entirely sure of himself.

"The rest of you climb the stairs," the fortuneteller instructed, floating further up as well. "You'll find seats at the top. Goku, Kagome, stay with me!"

"Okay!" the boy shouted, grabbing the priestess's hand and dragging her faster.

"Wait!" the old woman suddenly requested, pushing a section of wall in to show a hidden door. "Let's go in here."

The pair followed her, Kagome more hesitantly.

They came out into a large, well-furnished room that had Goku gaping. Even Kagome was impressed, and she had gotten used to the Western palace when she wasn't out traveling for her diplomatic duties.

"Whoa," the boy gasped. "That shiny thing is as bright as a star!"

The priestess glanced up, following his line of sight. "Ah, that's called a chandelier," she explained.

"This place is beautiful," he murmured, fingers squeezing her own.

Baba laughed, sounding pleased. "It's not much, but it's home," she demurred.

Kagome smiled, a bit melancholy. "It would've been nice if I could show you the citadel," she sighed. "You would have loved it."

He returned her smile with a reassuring one of his own. "Maybe someday you can."

She shook her head wryly. "I doubt it," she admitted. "But thank you."

"You can take these seats right here," the old mystic directed as they moved towards a long table.

"Okay!" the boy agreed, hopping up onto the chair at the end as the priestess took the one directly next to him. He paused for a second, his nose twitching, and he turned his attention off to the side with a relishing grin on his face. "Something smells wonderful!" he sighed.

Baba laughed again. "Indeed!" she brought her hands together, clapping. "Signal the first course!" she shouted.

A giant plate covered in meat floated in, being carried by the invisible man from before. "Certainly, ma'am," he spoke obediently, bringing the plate over to the table and setting it down before them.

Goku immediately started drooling. "This looks delicious!"

"Yes," the old woman nodded. "Go ahead, dig in!"

Kagome stared up at her suspiciously, even as her friend did as he was told and started tearing through the meal with an enthusiastic "Thank you so much!"

The priestess propped an elbow up on the table and rested her chin in her hand. "What's the catch?" she questioned.

"Catch?" the mystic repeated, a drop of sweat running down her forehead.

She just nodded, watching the woman blankly.

"O-of course there's no catch! How is it?" Baba asked, directing the question to Goku.

"It's great!" he assured around a mouthful. "Kagome, you should really try some!"

She hesitated. Well... she'd had a sandwich earlier, but she did have to admit that having something warm was appealing. Also, the boy was already holding some out to her with that expectant look on his face that said his feelings might get hurt if she declined. She reached out and accepted it, giving him a small, wry smile. "Thanks, Goku."

He grinned and continued stuffing his face.

Suddenly, there was a snap from somewhere behind them and the roof dropped open to rain bricks down on them. Before the priestess could even react, the boy was already up in the air kicking and punching them all away from the two of them.

Finally, the threat averted, he plopped back down in his chair. "Did you know you have a hole in your ceiling?" he questioned. "Oh hey, Kagome, weren't you gonna eat that?"

She blinked at him, then down to the piece of meat in her hands that he was gesturing to, and choked out a laugh. "Yeah, Goku, I'm eating," she assured between snickers, raising the food up to her lips and taking a bite out of it.

He beamed at her and continued cleaning off the plate, leaving the incident completely behind them.

Kagome shook her head amusedly and stole another piece before he could finish it all off.

xxxx

Edit: 8/27/16


	20. Chapter 20

"Hey!" Goku greeted with a laugh as they came out onto the platform where everyone else was already waiting on them.

"They're back!" Upa announced, sounding relieved.

"Where have you been all this time?" Bulma demanded.

"Eating!" the tailed boy stated simply, giving his lips a satisfactory lick.

"Goku, there's something called _poison_!" Krillin groaned. "I wouldn't eat anything in the present company! And anyway, didn't you already have like ten sandwiches outside?"

"Yeah, but this food was warm!" he laughed.

"Give me some credit," Baba scoffed. "Even I have standards! What do you think of your new surroundings?"

"It makes a cemetery look cozy," Bulma squeaked.

The fortuneteller cackled. "That will be the next stop for whoever falls into the pot!"

Krillin shuddered. "That's not good..."

"There is only one way that I can personally guarantee your safety," the mystic smirked.

"Yeah," the blue-haired girl scoffed, pushing aside her fear for a moment. "Let me guess! You want each of us to donate an organ?"

"That's tempting," the old woman huffed. "But no. I want Goku."

Kagome gave a low growl, placing a hand protectively on the boy's shoulder. For some reason, that made his face heat up just a bit.

"Not Goku!" Roshi accused.

"Righto," Baba smirked. "And Kagome, too, if I can get away with it."

The boy blinked up at her, surprised. "What's wrong? What do you want us for?"

"With your abilities, you would both be a prized addition to my team of fighters," the old woman admitted with a shrug.

"She's joking, right?" Bulma demanded, turning to the hermit. "Tell me your sister has a sense of humor!"

The old man sighed. "I'm sorry I brought you kids into this."

Krillin swallowed audibly. "Yamcha can win, trust me Master!"

Slowly, Roshi nodded in acceptance.

"Don't be a fool," Baba huffed. "This is a fight you cannot win!"

"Here comes Yamcha!" Pu'ar announced, dragging their attention back to the arena. All of them moved up to the railing to see better as the boy stood there, waiting expectantly.

"What is he doing!" Bulma wailed. "Is he nuts?!"

Goku frowned determinedly. "He won't fight alone!" he declared.

"Of course not," Kagome agreed, her hand still on his shoulder giving a light squeeze. "That's what we're here for."

He grinned up at her.

Baba moved out over the railing on her crystal ball, hovering there with a laugh.

"Ugh," Yamcha gagged, quickly covering his nose. "I think I can smell why they call this the Devil's Toilet! Ew..."

The old mystic snickered.

"Look on the bright side," Roshi spoke up. "These are great seats!"

"Would you grow up?!" Bulma yelled at him. "Yamcha's risking his life! If you can't control your sister, at least show some support!"

"I trust you will find this new venue a challenge worthy of your skill," the fortuneteller laughed. "The tongues are your boundary; the rest of the rules are the same, but the stakes are higher!" She pulled a piece of meat from her sleeve, dangling it out over the pit and dropping it in. "For should you fall into the toilet," she continued, the meat disappearing into the gook below in a small cloud of smoke and bubbles, "nothing can save you!"

"Uwaah!" the teen shuddered.

The old woman grinned. "One drop of that toxic soup on your skin means instant death!"

The others gave a short scream.

"And I thought my plumbing was bad," Roshi commented. "Brother!"

"Baba?" Yamcha called out. "No offense... but you've fallen off your crystal ball one too many times."

"Your fear is understandable," the fortuneteller stated, watching the panic with an almost satisfied look on her wrinkled face. "If you give up, I won't think any less of you than I already do!"

"Lady, I've never quit anything in my life and I'm not about to start now!" he growled. "Do your worst!"

Baba cackled. "Oh, that's the spirit!"

"Your sister is rude, inconsiderate, and shameful!" Bulma shot at the hermit with a glare. "I see the family resemblance!"

Roshi twitched, but didn't say anything aloud.

"Now, I present to you the third challenger!" the mystic announced, floating up a bit more into the air and bringing her hands up to the sides to draw a pair of little triangles in the air, then lacing her fingers together in front of her face. "Rise again and be restored once more," she called out commandingly.

Kagome started shaking. "Y-you _bastard_!" she shrieked accusingly at the hermit, her grip on Goku's shoulders tightening to a point where it was almost painful. "I thought that stupid outfit was just supposed to be for show! You said that she wasn't a witch!"

"Well not by trade, at least," the master defended himself.

"Rise again and be restored once more, rise again and be restored once more," the old woman continued to murmur, the priestess letting out a low whimper as the chant increased in volume with every repetition. Everyone else seemed to be too focussed on the fortuneteller's words to notice her distress.

"Kagome?" Goku worried, turning around to give her his full attention.

She shuddered and shook her head. "R-remember... Urasue? From my story?" she murmured quietly. "Or Tsubaki?"

"Rise again and be restored once more, rise again and be restored once more..."

His eyes widened in understanding and he took her hands. "It's okay," he assured.

"Rise again and be restored once more, rise again and be restored once more..."

Slowly, her shoulders stopped shaking so much and she gave him a weak smile.

He grinned back.

"Rise again and be restored once more, rise again and be restored once more, rise again and be restored once more!" Baba kept up, an explosion of smoke coming from the mouth opposite of Yamcha's. She repeated it a few more times, the smoke finally fading away to show...

"What is that?" Goku questioned, letting Kagome go again and both of them returning their gazes fully to the arena in the center.

"That's a sarcophagus," Bulma explained, shivering.

"A what?" he wondered, not understanding.

"A coffin," Kagome answered, still not having gotten back up yet.

"Why?" he blurted out. "Does he have a cold?"

The priestess sighed. "It's a box where you put dead people."

"Arise, my mummified warrior!" Baba shouted, both of her hands outstretched at her sides. "Come forth, I beseech you!"

There was a collective gasp, and the lid of the sarco-thingy got pushed open.

Slowly, a man wrapped in bandages opened his eyes, blue face turning tan, and stood up with a laugh.

"Is he hurt?" Goku asked. "Why's he covered in bandages?"

"It's a _mummy_!" Krillin barked at him impatiently. "You dummy, that's what it's supposed to look like!"

Baba cackled, and the guy kicked his box away inside the devil's mouth that made up his side of the platform.

"Come on!" Yamcha groaned. "Just once, I'd like to fight someone who's not a freak!"

The man laughed even louder. "This little whelp is why _I've_ been awoken?" he snickered. "Pain and suffering are all you have to look forward to now!"

The teen smirked. "Whatever! Anyone ever tell you your mummy dresses you funny?"

"That's enough chitchat!" the old mystic called down at them. "Save it for the fight! The battle will continue until one of you gives up or is destroyed. Let the match begin!"

Yamcha quickly ducked into a defensive stance.

"Seems awfully confident, doesn't he?" Kagome murmured.

"Which one?" Upa wondered quietly.

The priestess just glanced down at the smallest boy with a wry snort. "Both."

"You can do it, Yamcha!" Pu'ar shouted. "Be careful!"

"Don't you worry about him, Pu'ar," Krillin assured. "He's toast! That mummy doesn't stand a chance against Yamcha!"

"Oh, I'm afraid this monster is different from the last two," Roshi spoke up, grabbing their attention. "Throughout the years, there have been many visitors that have made it past the first two matches - but never the third. No one has ever faced this mummy and lived to tell about it!"

"Wah," Goku breathed. "That means he must be super strong..."

The teen rushed forward at the monster, instigating a fistfight that quickly turned into him struggling to dodge out of the way of a rain of punches.

"He's too fast!" the hermit announced.

Krillin, Bulma, Pu'ar, and Upa all screamed.

"I don't think so," Goku argued.

"Tear him apart, Yamcha!" the blue-haired girl shrieked.

"He's going to fall!" Kagome hissed, all of them watching as it seemed like the teen was about to fall into the soup below - only to grab the ledge at the last second. "Pull yourself up, you idiot!" she shouted, the mummy coming to stand above the eldest boy and raise his foot to step on the hand that was keeping him hanging there.

"Leave him alone!" Bulma yelled.

For some reason, the man stopped before stepping on Yamcha's fingers and took a step back. "Get up! We're not finished!" he demanded. "I have slept too long to give this up so soon... let's play."

The mummy and Baba both just laughed, and the teen finally pulled himself back up onto the bridge.

"Now," the man grinned, "stand up and face me, boy! I want to see your expression as you die..."

"Come on, Yamcha!" the blue-haired girl screamed down at them, one fist coming up over her head in what was probably meant to be a show of support. "Finish him already! Let's get this over with!"

"Hang in there, Yamcha!" Pu'ar joined in. "Just stay alive!"

The teen leapt back, giving himself some space, and shifted into a familiar stance. "Wolf Fang Fist!" he announced loudly, charging right back in with a battle cry.

"Yay!" Krillin cheered as the older boy swung a flurry of attacks. "He's doing it!"

"No," Roshi corrected quietly, all of them watching to see that not one of the hits was actually landing.

Finally, the teen took a heavy knee to the stomach that had him pinned.

"Oh, no!" Pu'ar shouted. "Yamcha!"

"Wolf Fang Fist!" Krillin blubbered. "It didn't work!"

"He's gonna kill him!" Bulma wailed worriedly.

"What?" the mummy smirked, standing back up and resting a foot on the teen's side. "Speak up, little man, I can't hear you...! When you're _crying_."

"Yamcha!" Pu'ar screamed. "You can beat him! Please get up!"

"Leave him alone, you big bully!" Goku yelled unhappily.

The teen slowly opened his eyes back up. "I... I can't..." he coughed.

Baba laughed. "So what do you think of old Bandages now?" she prodded.

"Not much," Yamcha admitted, swinging around and knocking the man's feet out from under him to send him into the toilet.

They started to cheer, only to stop when the mummy swung one of his bandages up to wrap around the bridge and pulled himself right back up. Even Kagome gave a wince, grabbing the tailed boy's shoulder. Each and every one of them wanted to step in and help, but they knew that they couldn't. Yamcha still refused to give up, no matter how beat-up he got. Eventually, Pu'ar couldn't take it anymore and flew out to help, but she was brought down with a single hit and the teen was dangling from the air once more, still refusing to give in.

He was tossed right off the edge once more, and this time it was pretty obvious that he wouldn't be able to pull himself back up. Without another thought, Goku acted.

"Power Pole, extend!" he directed, managing to catch him.

"Your life has been spared," Baba announced. "But you are still very much defeated!"

Yamcha looked crushed.

"Two words!" Bulma growled. "I. Quit. I suggest you look them up sometime."

"I thought Yamcha did an exceptional job!" Krillin defended the older boy, who had joined them up in the box. "Except for the almost dying part."

"He's unstoppable," the eldest boy murmured "Nothing I did had any effect, not even my Wolf Fang Fist!"

"Don't beat yourself up, kid," Roshi scolded. "That's my sister's job!"

Baba approached, laughing. "So are you discussing your next fighter, or your retreat? No shame in losing; everyone knows my warriors are the best in the world!"

"... Well, then," Kagome spoke up before Goku could, her expression completely serious. "I guess it's my turn again."

"It's okay," the tailed boy argued. "I can go!"

The priestess shook her head at him. "Just trust me."

"P-please don't fight!" Upa stuttered. "It's too dangerous! I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me!"

Kagome smiled down at the smallest boy. "Hey, I was made for this kind of battle."

The fortuneteller huffed. "From that display with Fangs, I would believe it - but your level of strength still isn't enough to take down Bandages!"

The priestess smiled up at her innocently. "Oh? You see, there's a big difference here. I wasn't actually interested," she hummed, face shifting with something much colder than Goku had become used to in her and her eyes sparking silver, "in _killing_ the vampire."

They all shivered at those words, together with the feeling that she meant every last one of them. Slowly, the girl turned around and headed for the stairs.

"It's been a long time since I ran a little rampant..."

Goku swallowed hard, having trouble believing that this was the same Kagome he'd come to know over the last month and a half. She seemed... dangerous.

His face felt hot.

xxxx

The priestess made her way quickly down the stairs and through the door that Yamcha had been directed towards on the way in, and walked back out on the bridge a moment later. The Shikon was closer to the surface than it had been since they'd reached their truce on Korin's Tower, and it was eager for blood.

Moreover, this blood was of the undead. They had a certain _grudge_ against the undead, thanks to issues with Kikyou.

No, that wasn't quite right - she needed to stop thinking of them as separate beings. She and the jewel were one, whether they each still had their own thoughts or not. It was like Sesshoumaru had explained with a demon's Beast once, as far as she could tell; two somewhat different personalities being driven by different things, but still one person in the end.

 _She_ had a grudge.

'Bandages' laughed disbelievingly upon seeing her.

The priestess smiled at him. "We can start whenever you're ready."

The undead laughed harder. "Is that so? And who are you supposed to be, the halftime entertainment?"

She cracked her neck, not gracing that with an answer.

"Ready!" Baba shouted. "You may begin!"

The enemy seemed to hesitate a moment.

"Well?" she offered. "I'll let you go first."

"What's the matter with you?" Baba blurted out ofter another minute of waiting. "Go after her!"

"She's right," Kagome smirked, eyes sparking with amusement. "Should I start?"

The mummy growled and charged at her, and she couldn't quite fight down the rush of sadistic humor she got as she jumped up out of his reach, cracking a kick to the back of his head on her way back down to the platform.

Huh. This was the first time she was really fighting alongside the jewel since that assault on the Red Ribbon Army, wasn't it? It felt... _closer_ , than before. Like it was running freer.

Oh, yeah. Because this idiot had tried killing one of her pseudo-friends.

The jewel was made of demons as much as holy energy. Demons were more than just a little protective of their packs. Ironic, she supposed - it didn't actually feel... _impure_. She didn't feel as though she was tainted. It just felt as though her purity was running two different tracks: holy purity like she was used to, and an almost demonic purity thrown in beside it. It was a rush unlike anything she'd ever felt before.

She threw her head back and laughed, long and loud, as she planted a swift kick into the mummy's back. "You'll have to do better than that! This game's getting boring!"

"I don't play games," he snarled, regaining his balance. "I _destroy_!"

She darted back in under his guard, slamming an elbow into his stomach. "Could have fooled me!" she smirked, flooding the whole area around her with reiki.

The mummy screamed, the smell of burning cloth and flesh filling the arena.

"Let's see how _you_ like it, shall we!" she roared, slamming into him again and again and filling every hit with ki. If he had been a demon, he would've already been purified a few times over - as it was, he had to be in a world of pain regardless.

Finally, he was limp on the bridge and she was staring down at him blankly.

"P-please," the mummy choked. "Don't... kill me!"

She blinked. "Can you give me a good reason not to? You were meant to pass on years ago and face your sentence in the afterlife. You've spent your extra time on this plane not to try and redeem yourself, but torturing others." Her head tilted to one side, her entire vision overlaid by a heavy cloud of silver. "You even almost killed the idiot. Judgement must be faced sooner or later, 'Bandages'. You must have realized this by now."

"I-I'm sorry," he choked. "I'm sorry! I forfeit!"

The priestess blinked down at him again, the haze over her vision clearing a bit as she took a step away form him. "I see. Too bad, then; your debt continues to grow. Now get out of the way for the next fighter."

The mummy shook uncontrollably for a moment, got up, and ran.

She tilted her head to one side a bit curiously and reached up, running a hand over her face. That had been... strange.

Her sight finally went normal again to the sound of Goku's exuberant cheers, paired with the somewhat more hesitant ones of the others and Roshi's squawking demands of 'What just happened?!'

"... Damn," she murmured to herself. "I guess I've still got a lot more to learn about this arrangement after all."

"Let the next match begin!" Baba called. "Spike, come forth!"

She just raised an eyebrow as the next man walked out, with horns on his head and bat wings on his back. Her head hurt a bit, but even so she still found a bit of humor in the fact that this guy seemed to be trying so hard to appear 'demonic'. Even his aura was shaded with an almost forced darkness, as if he was overly concerned with looking ominous.

"Ready!" the fortuneteller shouted. "Set! Go!"

The enemy immediately jumped up into the air, his wings beating to keep him aloft.

"I always give my opponents the chance to surrender," he offered with a smirk. "What do you say?"

She smiled up at him sweetly. "No, thank you."

His smirk widened. "You're going down!" he announced, diving at her.

Taking a page out of Goku's book, she leapt up and slammed a kick into his gut that had him flying back towards the ceiling.

"Get him!" Yamcha shouted, surprising her a bit.

Even the moron was cheering for her? Maybe she had actually done something right.

The 'devil' landed back on the bridge, cringing just a bit. "Lucky shot!" he accused.

"Oh?" she snorted. "Not going to brag about how you were going easy on me?"

He snarled at her. "You little-! You dare mock me?! I'll have you know-"

"What are you doing?!" Baba shrieked, interrupting his tirade. "This isn't your break, I don't pay you for your conversation! Now get out there and fight!"

The man gave a short growl and charged Kagome again, swiping at her with filed claws.

"Really?" she choked out a laugh as she dodged. " _Pink_ nail polish?"

"I'll kill you!" he screamed, picking up his pace. She kicked him back off the edge, only for him to fly his way back to the platform out of breath. "You foolish wench! Do you think you can defeat me?! I'm invincible!"

The priestess had gone stiff the moment he said 'wench'.

"I don't mean to pressure you," the fortuneteller hissed at the man, getting closer, "but you'd better win!"

"That's unfortunate," he swallowed awkwardly. "Well, her luck _is_ about to run out! No one can survive the power of my Devilmite Beams!"

His wings snapped out around him, pulling her back from memories of the past.

"The most destructive force in the world," he bragged, slapping his hands together in front of his face and forming a triangle with his fingers, "is negativity! It is true power. Negative energy exists in all living things; it's created from emotions such as fear, anger, hatred, jealousy, and depression..."

She clenched her jaw. "I already know this speech," she stated simply.

"I can manipulate this energy," he continued, talking over her, "converge it into beams of destructive power! It will annihilate _anything_ in its path. And right now, my little fool, I have you square in my sights," he grinned.

He brought his hands up to his forehead, two fingers out to join at the center.

"Kagome, get out of there!" Roshi screamed at her. "He's going to use your thoughts to destroy you!"

The priestess just blinked.

"Stop!" Baba shrilled. "What are you doing?! You're going too far!"

Kagome wasn't really worried. She just waited there patiently for the idiot to give it his best shot.

"Kagome!" Goku yelled worriedly. "Get out of there!"

The beam came at her, slamming her in the chest.

"Darkness swells and fills her heart!" the man chanted. "Now, rise! Rise and tear this girl apart!" He laughed loudly. "Now you die!"

"KAGOME!" the tailed boy shouted again.

"Think positive thoughts!" the old hermit tried to coach her.

"Darkness!" her opponent roared. "EXPLODE!"

She just blinked and waited for the lights to fade. No wonder he'd gone for pink nails; he must have thought that they matched his powers. Sadly, they actually did.

"D-darkness, explode!" the man tried again. "Darkness, explode! Darkness, explode! Darkness...!"

The light finally faded. "You know, there was once this little demon named Akago..."

She felt their collective gapes, and darted forward to land a reiki-charged fist in 'Spike's face, flinging him back into the wall.

"You could've learned a thing or two from the creep!" she called over at him.

"Way to go, Kagome, you really showed him!" Yamcha cheered.

"WE WON!" Krillin laughed loudly.

"I knew you could do it, Kagome!" Upa shouted.

She glanced up, giving the spectators a smile.

"This... doesn't make any sense!" her opponent coughed, forcing himself back up to his unsteady feet. "The Devilmite Beam works on everyone! For you to be immune to its power...! Means you don't carry a single negative thought!"

The priestess rolled her eyes. "Not quite," she admitted. "Maybe if it had been Goku down here, that really would have been the case - but I'm just not exactly... the _same_ as the people you've used that thing against. I've been dealing with this kind of attack and learning how to deal with it since I was fifteen. I know how to work out my negativity when it shows up, and I don't try to deny its existence."

He twitched. "Y-you... are not normal..."

She sighed. "Yeah. I know."

"Beware," he growled. "The Devilmite Beam isn't my only weapon!" He raised his hand, a pitchfork appearing in his clenched fist. "If you get my _point_..."

She scoffed and slammed a barrier down around him, locking him in.

He stared disbelievingly at the sudden silvery bubble and tried smacking it, only to get bounced back. "What...!"

Her eyes narrowed. "I've been wondering about something lately..."

The man quaked. "W-what is that...?"

She concentrated, making her reiki as solid as she could, and lifted her hands above her head. The barrier followed, rising up off the platform with her opponent still inside of it. "Well, I guess that answers that question. Apparently I _can_ move them after they're already formed so long as I focus hard enough."

To illustrate her point, she flung him straight into the ceiling. Her barrier didn't quite hold up the whole way, and she stumbled with exhaustion as it came down, but the man still ended up buried head-first in the stone.

Her friends (and Roshi and Yamcha, though she was starting to think that the teen just might be able to be given a chance after all) cheered.

She rolled her shoulders. "So who's next?"

Baba huffed. "Save your accolades for later! You haven't won anything yet!"

"Just two more matches and we can get the dragon ball!" Goku shouted happily.

The fortuneteller floated in front of the box. "Your boastful antics won't get you anywhere in this arena, and they're giving me a splitting headache!" she shrilled at them. "You'll do better to watch your tongues and be silent! I can't wait until you witness my next fighters... They're out of this world!"

Okay, so that laughter made Kagome a bit nervous.

"Number five!" Baba announced. "Your match is at hand!"

A familiar figure walked out, dressed in a red fire rat robe and a traditional dog mask.

The priestess's knees shook, and she stumbled a step backwards.

"What's the matter, wench?" a gruff voice huffed. "Not happy to see me?"

She swallowed thickly. "I-I... can't..." she choked out. "I can't... do this...!"

Turning around, she ran back into the tunnel and down the stairs, not stopping until she was back outside under the sun. She panted heavily, her entire body quaking and a cold sweat breaking out across her face. It was _impossible_.

"... Inuyasha..."

xxxx

A/N: Kagome gets a chance to flex her claws a bit! After 'training' with Korin, she would be a good bit closer to Goku's power level and, like she said, she was kind of made for these sorts of fights... Except for when there's mental trauma working against her. She's only human, after all.

Thanks as always for reading!

Edit: 8/27/16


	21. Chapter 21

"What... just happened?" Goku murmured uncertainly, his voice swallowed up by all the disbelieving screams of the others around him. He had never seen that look on his friend's face before; it worried him. Why had she run off like that? And why hadn't she gotten back up to the box yet?

"Kagome has forfeited!" Baba announced, looking pleased with herself. "Next fighter, enter the ring!"

"I'll be right back," the tailed boy announced, turning for the door. "I'm going to go see if she's okay first."

"If you leave now, you also forfeit," the fortuneteller informed him bluntly.

He hesitated.

"Krillin can go," Bulma offered, shoving the bald boy forward. He glared up at her for a moment, but a beat of silent communication had him slumping.

"Y-yeah, I can go find her," Krillin murmured, not really seeming like he was too thrilled with the words coming out of his own mouth. "She'd probably get mad if we lost because of this, right? Go kick that guy's butt. I'll have her back here before you know it."

The tailed boy shot his best friend a thankful grin. "Alright," he finally agreed.

His fellow apprentice gave a sigh and disappeared through the door, grumbling quietly to himself about starting at the bottom and working his way up. Reassured that Kagome would be okay with Krillin there, he swung up over the rail and jumped down onto the platform. He wasn't too sure what had happened, but he did know that his opponent had somehow managed to really upset her; even if this fight hadn't been important to get Bora back, that already would have been enough to motivate him. Also... there was something about this guy's smell that he just really didn't like for some reason.

The man across from him snorted. "That wench sure never does anything halfway, does she?" he huffed. "First a half-demon two hundred years older than her, now some little brat with a tail? At least it wasn't that stupid wolf, I guess..."

Goku's eyes widened a bit. Didn't that sound kind of like the priestess's story? "What are you talking about?" he questioned. "What did you do to Kagome?"

The man winced a bit. "What have I done, huh...? More than I'd like to admit."

He stiffened slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"May the next match begin!" Baba shouted, starting them off.

The other fighter scoffed. "It's none of your damn business anyway, brat!" he growled, charging in with claws - actual, _literal_ claws - bared.

He darted out of the way, flipping head-over-tail. "She's my partner!" he argued.

For some reason, the man started laughing. "Partner? So what you're tryin' ta say is that you're her new protector, huh? Figures she'd find some brat to replace me. Careful claimin' that kinda position, it's a full-time job!"

Goku frowned. "Protector? I just said we were partners!" he huffed, darting in to swing a punch at the man's jaw. "And what do you mean, replace you? Who _are_ you!"

The opponent didn't even try dodging, and his mask flew off into the toilet below.

The boy's breath caught a bit, even as Bulma started squealing about 'exotic beauty' or something.

... Silver hair, gold eyes - _dog ears_? Plus with how Kagome acted... That meant...

His eyes narrowed. "You... You're Inuyasha?" he demanded slowly. "But... Kagome said that you'd died!"

The man smirked, a bit of fang poking out over his lower lip. "You're not too quick on the uptake, are ya?" he goaded, scrubbing the back of his wrist over the side of his face where the boy had struck him. "But, well, it does kinda surprise me that the wench told you anything at all. I woulda thought she'd be too glad not havin' anyone know about the jewel to wanna go and ruin it by blabbin' - but I guess she always did like talkin' too much for her own good."

Goku's teeth clenched. "Why do you keep calling her that? I don't know what it means, but it sure doesn't sound very nice!"

The half-demon ran in, swiping at him, and the boy hurried to duck. "Who even cares! Just fight already!"

He wanted to fight? _Fine_. This guy had hurt Goku's partner, and he wasn't feeling all that charitable. Especially not with the image of Kagome's terrified expression right before she'd turned around and ran stuck in his head. The boy darted down, sweeping the man's legs out from under him and slamming his fist down heavily.

Inuyasha managed to move his head out of the way at the last second, but the blow landed on the bridge with a loud crack that had that half of the platform giving a lurch. Several chunks of rock fell off into the soup. Ignoring the destruction, the boy pursued his opponent almost single-mindedly. He got a blow through, but received a slash across his chest that sent him flying back a few feet - and he gaped down at the damage in horror.

"H-hey!" he yelped. "Kagome just got me these clothes!"

The man scoffed, wiping a small trickle of blood off his chin. "So?"

Goku gave a short growl. "Say you're sorry!"

The half-demon's face fell with disbelief. " _What_?!"

"Say you're sorry!" the boy repeated insistently. "For being mean, and for tearing my new shirt!"

Inuyasha twitched. "You... Did someone drop you on your head as a kid?"

His jaw tightened. "Say it!" he demanded, charging back in to swing another punch at the man's stomach that he immediately followed up with a kick.

"Like hell!" the half-demon snarled, taking the first hit and countering the next.

Goku gave another growl and head-butted the man in the chin, sending him flying into the ceiling with enough force to put a new crater right next to the Devilman's. Inuyasha pulled himself free with a slew of curses, only to lose his balance and nearly fall into the toilet before correcting himself.

The boy frowned at him unhappily.

This guy _really_ wasn't very nice. How had Kagome ever put up with him?

Goku slammed his foot down on the platform, causing the abused stone to break apart and fall right out from under them. From there, he just jumped up onto one of the horns carved into the devil faces on either side of the bridge and hung on as the man shouted and went tumbling through the air.

Though he did still catch him with the Power Pole before the guy could take a bath in the soup. Even with as much as the half-demon had hurt the priestess, she wouldn't have wanted him to die. Again.

Actually, they still really needed to find out what had happened with that mess. For right now, though...

"Sorry about your arena, Baba!" he laughed, ignoring Inuyasha's loud cursing.

xxxx

It was impossible. _Impossible_! Inuyasha was dead. Not only had she been to the grave, but she also knew for a fact that Sesshoumaru had taken Tesseiga. No, he never used it - but that was only because he didn't _need_ it with Bakuseiga at his hip. So unless Baba had gone and pulled more of that 'Rise again' crap, it was some kind of trick. It just had to be.

"Kagome?" a voice drew her from her thoughts.

The priestess glanced up, seeing Krillin approach her where she sat on the edge of the outside arena. She winced and looked away, dodging his gaze. "I'm sorry," she murmured weakly, staring down at her hands as they twisted in her lap. "I lost us a match, didn't I?"

The boy heaved a sigh and plopped down next to her. "Goku will take care of it. Do you want to talk about what happened back there?"

She shrugged uncomfortably. "Just... something that I wasn't prepared to see."

He gave another sigh. "Everyone's worried, you know."

She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling guilty. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Hey, nobody's _mad_ ," he assured, bending over just a bit to meet her eyes. "You don't have to apologize or anything. Just, well - we're here if you need to talk about it, okay?"

The priestess gave him an unsteady smile. "Thanks."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the sound of crashes from inside making her wince just a bit. Finally, the whole group came out to join them... including a sulking Inuyasha who was very obviously trying to get out of a love-struck Bulma's line of sight. Krillin must have been right about Goku taking care of it; that was his I-just-lost-but-there's-no-way-in-hell-I'm-about-to-admit-it face.

She gritted her teeth and stood up, turning around to better meet the half-demon's eyes while reminding herself not to bite her lip or show any signs of weakness. "Inuyasha," she greeted, her voice kept carefully even.

"So you _do_ remember my name," he huffed. "... You ran. What the fuck, wench? The Kagome I remember never woulda pulled that crap."

Her fists clenched at her sides. "I'm _not_ the Kagome you remember anymore."

He scoffed. "Bullshit. You're still in there somewhere; ya just gotta stop feelin' sorry for yourself and lettin' the past drag ya down."

The priestess's eye twitched. " _What_?" she growled, something sparking inside her.

The half-demon smirked. "Ya heard me. _Grow up_."

Oh, that was _it_. "SIT!" she screamed angrily, the beads still around his neck immediately taking effect. He let out a sharp yelp as his face met the stones with enough force to make them crack. Well, well. Maybe he was really physically there after all. "Sit, sit, sit, sit, SIT you stupid, hypocritical BASTARD! _You_ want to tell _me_ to grow up?! Take a look in the damn mirror! _I'm_ not the one who's over two hundred and still acts like a _three-year-old_! _I'm_ not the one who went and got himself killed because he couldn't let go of his dead ex-girlfriend! I swear to the gods, you-! I can't believe I _ever_ liked your sorry ass! Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, SIT!"

He gave a weak cough from his crater. "W-well... the cussin' part's new..."

"Yeah, I got that habit from _you_!" she snarled darkly. " _SIT_!" Her chest heaved as she tried catching her breath after that rant, but it felt amazing to have finally gotten that out in the open. "How are you even here, anyway?" the priestess finally demanded, arms crossed and very determinedly ignoring the gaping of the others. "Overlooking the part where you're _dead_... it's still impossible for you to be here."

Inuyasha slowly dragged himself out of the rubble, groaning in pain the whole way. "I take it all back. You haven't changed at all. _Damn_. Look, Midoriko pulled a couple'a strings so I could tell ya some shit. Okay?"

She sighed, one hand coming up to pinch the bridge of her nose. " _Great_. Let me guess, I have to find some way back or something terrible's going to happen?"

"Kagome?" Goku spoke up, drawing her attention. "You're _leaving_? But we're partners!"

The priestess fought a wince. "It's just... well, if they need me then I don't have much choice - you know?"

The tailed boy's face fell in a frown. "But..."

The half-demon snorted. "Don't be stupid, wench, everything's goin' fine without you. I'm s'posed to tell you to keep your ass here and live your life, considerin' you belong in this batshit place now or somethin'. If the old hag ever decides that they need you for anything, she'll come and get you herself. Got it?"

Her eyes went wide and she gaped at him. "W-wait, what?"

He huffed and patted himself off, a small cloud of dust rising up off of his haori. "They're. Fine. Without. You. Is that not what you were wantin' to hear? Keh, no gratitude at all. It's not like it was easy gettin' here or nothin'!"

She blinked uncomprehendingly at him.

"Are you done now?" Baba scowled. "We have another round to commence!"

Kagome jolted a bit and moved off of the platform quickly with everyone else but Goku and his next opponent, who she hadn't even taken note of earlier. Something about his aura was... it kind of reminded her of her grandfather's a bit, but stronger. He didn't seem to wish any kind of harm on the tailed boy at all, and a part of her relaxed at that realization.

She would take in the rest of that new information later. For now, her partner had a fight to win. She smiled to herself. Yeah, she liked that: partner. He wasn't her _protector_ , he was her _partner_. They were _equals_ here.

Her heart swelled, a knot that she hadn't even noticed inside of her loosening with relief. She had a place here. She wasn't just halfway useful baggage anymore.

"Kick his ass, Goku," she smiled warmly.

For the first time, she found herself sending the gods a silent prayer of thanks for letting her come to this crazy place.

xxxx

"Excuse me, Baba," the man in the mask spoke up politely. "Uh, actually... The thing is..." he murmured a few things quietly enough so that only the fortuneteller, who had leaned in when he had gotten her attention, could hear. She nodded along, showing that she was paying attention to him.

"So Kagome," Bulma spoke up eagerly on their side of the ring. "What was all that about earlier? How do you know such a cute guy?"

Goku heard the priestess groan. "You remember that ex I mentioned in West City?"

"The jerk who cheated on you with _his_ ex?" the other girl checked.

"Exactly," Kagome confirmed. "Bulma, meet Inuyasha."

"Fuck off, wench," the silver-haired man huffed irritably.

"Don't make me put another crater in Baba's ring!" the black-haired girl hissed back at him, tone threatening. "Just stay over on your side and don't tempt me. Moron."

The tailed boy wouldn't actually mind seeing that happen. At all. Considering how fast the half-demon had healed, he almost wished that their fight had lasted a bit longer so that he could have at least gotten a few more hits in.

Either way, what he should really be focussing on was the coming fight. Clearing his thoughts the best he could, he turned every scrap of his attention over to his opponent.

"Hah?" Baba finally exclaimed, pulling away from the masked man with a gape. "You mean to tell me _that's_ what this is all about?! This is good!" she laughed, sounding pleased with whatever news she'd just gotten. "I love surprises!"

The little pink ghost-thing from earlier rolled out a cart covered in food, interrupting with a cheery grin. "Hiya! It's time for your afternoon snack!"

"Snack-time already?" the fortuneteller blinked. "I hadn't noticed. I guess the time really does fly by when the fights are fun!"

"Today I have a special treat for you," the ghost chirped brightly. "A delectable array of some of your favorite dishes! Like jellyfish gelatin, and chocolate moose pie with a tangy mosquito sauce."

"Ah, looks scrumptious!" the old woman complimented, hovering down closer to the food with an eager look on her face.

"How about a nice cup of egg presto? It's my own special blend!" it offered temptingly, pouring some of the white liquid into a teacup for the mystic.

Goku was never one to judge food, but some of that stuff smelled kinda... _strange_.

"Egg presto? My favorite! And such a wonderful aroma. What is your secret?"

"Egg-whites, and a dash of nutmeg!"

"Nutmeg, of course! With a hint of fish scales, this really hits the spot!"

Upa lost his patience, running up in front of the cart. "Goku has been ready to fight for a long time, while you're just sitting there eating and having fun!" he scolded loudly, calling the old woman out on her behavior. "No fair!"

The tailed boy just blinked. "Can we start fighting?" he requested.

"Certainly, certainly," the fortuneteller agreed easily. "Anxious to lose?" she laughed, the ghost moving the cart back off to the side of the arena and Kagome calling Upa back over to their own side.

Goku just laughed.

"Now!" the old woman announced once they had all cleared the ring once more. "Get ready, the next match is about to begin! It goes on until one of you surrenders. In the unlikely event that Goku manages to win this match for his team, I will disclose to him the location of the final dragon ball."

"It's all up to you, Goku!" Krillin shouted supportively.

"Yeah, no pressure!" Yamcha joined in.

The tailed boy shifted into a fighting stance. "I promise I'll do my best!" he assured them determinedly.

"That's all anyone can ask," his opponent agreed, bringing his hands up in front of his face to give the boy a respectful bow, "or you can offer."

"What...?" Goku wondered uncertainly, quickly coming back out of his stance so that he could return the bow. His grandpa had always taught him to show good manners, after all. "Thanks..."

"What's that guy up to?" Krillin questioned from the sidelines. "He's Goku's opponent, but he acts like his friend!"

"I get the feeling we're going to find out," Kagome murmured. "But he doesn't feel... bad."

"What do you mean?" the bald boy pressed.

"I don't know, he just doesn't feel like he means any of us any harm," she tried to explain a bit awkwardly. "Especially Goku."

"Ready?" Baba called out, cutting through the conversation. "Begin!"

The tailed boy hurried to resume his position, settling on a solid offensive style when he saw that the masked man looked to be shifting more with a defensive guard to start.

"If my instincts serve me, this is going to be an interesting fight," Roshi stated.

All Goku knew was that this man wasn't anything like the others - but he still wasn't sure if that was good or bad at this point. And he still didn't know why the scent was so... _comfortable_ to him. Like getting a great big hug.

"When you're ready," his opponent offered.

Without another word, Goku rushed in to get this fight started.

xxxx

Kagome flinched as the fight raged on without either fighter landing a single hit.

"He does feel... familiar," Roshi spoke up quietly. "Like a great man."

She nodded in agreement. Still, she was worried about her friend - whether she got the sense that the masked man wouldn't hurt him or not. Still...

"Come on man, fight!" Yamcha groaned as the two grappled.

"Destroy!" Baba shouted.

The combatants burst into action, and finally Goku managed to deliver a single kick... after receiving a few blows of his own. The both of them were out of breath by the time they landed, the match slowing down slightly as they took in their current states and the best way to defeat their opponent.

"Goku, are you okay?" Krillin called worriedly.

"He's stronger than I thought," Bulma murmured.

"That move is one of the most difficult to sustain!" Roshi announced. "And to sustain it for that amount of time, it's just incredible!"

"Who is that guy, Master?" Yamcha wondered.

Kagome put a hand on the bald boy's shoulder, her face drawn up in concern. She knew that their tailed friend would be alright, but still... She wished she could be out there helping him. If only she hadn't lost a match...

"Keh!" Inuyasha huffed, sending her a taunting smirk from across the ring.

She glared at him. "Sit," she growled under her breath, chuckling darkly when he yelped and got dragged down to smack his face on the edge of the ring.

"What are you waiting for?!" Baba shouted at her masked fighter, completely ignoring all else but the match. "Destroy that kid! Do you hear me, masked man?! Stop dancing around the issue and pummel him! I want to see some good, old-fashioned fighting! This match has been going on for two minutes and no one has even lost a tooth!"

Bulma looked like she was about to start shouting, but the priestess cut her off. "I wasn't aware that there was a time limit," she stated coolly. "Did you have that for all of the matches, or just the ones that you don't think are getting bloody fast enough?"

The mystic cringed a bit and shut up.

"What are you waiting for?" Baba grumbled after a moment where neither of the fighters moved a muscle. "There are no cameras. Stop posing and get back to work."

Kagome rolled her eyes. The old woman was incorrigible.

Between one heartbeat and the next, Goku and the masked man both burst into action and began trading hits once more, the tailed boy quickly ending up mostly on the defensive. Finally, just when it looked like he had landed another kick, his opponent grabbed him by the ankle and threw him up into the air.

She cringed. This... wasn't going to be pretty. She could already tell that much.

"Ah, look out!" Roshi gasped as the masked man leapt up after the boy.

The priestess winced sympathetically when her companion was pounded right back down to the ring, landing with enough force to make the tiles explode up into the air around him in debris.

"Yes!" Baba cheered.

Kagome shot her a warning glare, seriously thinking about zapping her for her excessive enthusiasm at seeing the boy hurt. Or at least throwing a rock at her hat.

"Goku!" Krillin and Upa both shouted.

The priestess reminded herself not to freak out. He was okay, she told herself. She could still sense him. This was his fight, and she couldn't interfere... Still, she wrung her hands while the others around her called out in concern; she just didn't like seeing him get hurt, even when it was unavoidable. Win or lose, she could always heal him when the match was over - and they may not have a coupon, but she figured that they should still be able to pay the fee if they traded in a bit more of the treasure. Gods knew they had plenty left.

Everything was going to be okay. This wasn't a battle to the death, and the masked man didn't seem too keen on hurting him either. He would be alright.

She just had to keep that in mind.

"You have until the count of five!" Baba announced, floating over to the hole in the arena. "One! Two! Three! Four!"

Just as the old woman started cackling in victory, the boy exploded out from beneath a different tile, flying straight for his opponent to land a vicious kick to his stomach that sent him flying over towards the other building. He managed to catch himself, bouncing back off the roof with a kick of his own. Goku quickly shifted his stance, leaving himself grounded but open, and took the blow directly to his chest with a determined grunt. The masked man gasped and quickly darted a few feet away from him.

Kagome gave a low sigh of relief as the boy started laughing.

"Was that your best move?" her tailed friend taunted, despite that she could see his shoulders shake ever so slightly with exertion. "Maybe you should take some lessons!"

The others shouted out encouragements and cheers, but she frowned a bit.

Was he really okay?

Roshi studied the masked fighter carefully, a thoughtful purse to his lips.

Goku rearranged his stance once more. "Go," he huffed at his opponent challengingly.

"Well," the masked man hummed, his own position changing into something vaguely... familiar. "I've got something special for you. You'll appreciate this."

The boy's eyes blew wide as the other fighter brought his hands together.

"Ka... me..."

Kagome's jaw dropped and she realized all at once why she'd thought it was familiar. "Oh, shit. Are you kidding me?"

"Ha... me...!"

"Impossible!" Yamcha gaped.

"Wait... stop it...!" the tailed preteen gasped as the man's hands glowed with power.

"If that's what I think it is, things just went from bad to worse!" Roshi yelped.

"Haaaaaaaa!" the masked fighter yelled, the energy exploding.

"Don't just stand there!" the priestess shouted worriedly, trying to speak over the others' screams. "Goku, dodge it!"

She heaved a sigh of relief to see that he used a mirror image to do just that.

"Where is he?!" Baba shrieked.

"He's learned the afterimage technique," the fighter murmured, his aura thrumming with pride.

Kagome just grinned. Now all that was really left for her friend to do was get behind his opponent undetected, and it would be easy to just-

"Yoo-hoo!" the boy shouted, giving away his position in the sky. "Hello! This is fun!"

She slapped her forehead frustratedly.

What had she even been thinking? This was Goku. He was about as inconspicuous as her old school uniform had been in the Feudal Era.

"That boy definitely gets around," the masked man stated, staring up at him in shock.

"Get ready!" Goku announced excitedly. "It's my turn!"

The priestess sighed, seeing the boy come straight at the man - but blinked in surprise when she realized what he was doing with his hands... and his ki.

"Ka... me... ha... me... HAA!" he shouted, returning the attack with one of his own.

She grinned brightly as the man rushed to get out of the way, landing flat on his back in the process and earning himself a heavy knee to the gut.

"Do you surrender?" Goku smirked. "Or do I have to give you another punch?"

The others cheered excitedly, but she bit her tongue to keep from pointing out that he hadn't actually _punched_ the poor guy. Let them celebrate; it had been a good blow. She didn't think that it was over quite yet, but that had been a decent combination.

"With that mask on, I can't tell if you're asleep or awake," the boy announced, scooting just a bit closer to his downed opponent with a fist raised cautiously. "Say something!"

The man laughed, catching him off guard.

She bit her lip nervously, wringing her hands, and silently started to pray that her friend would make it out of this one without too many injuries.

xxxx

A/N: Kagome gets some closure with the Inuyasha front! Yay! Dead or not, he can still push her buttons while somehow subtly leading her towards some halfway decent realizations. Also, now she knows that she's not there by fluke. Hmmm...

Edit: 8/27/16


	22. Chapter 22

Goku paused uncertainly. What was going on? Why was the masked guy laughing like that? Faster than his eyes could follow, a hand shot out and wrapped around his tail. He went rigid for a moment before slumping weakly, all of his energy draining away from him as his opponent chuckled.

"I think I'm going to... fall..." he mumbled, feeling dizzy.

"Wait, what's going on?!" he heard Kagome shout worriedly.

"It's his tail!" Bulma explained, her voice shrill with concern of her own as his face met with the tiles of the arena. "His tail is his weakness! He can't even move if someone's holding it like that!"

But... how had his opponent known that? _How_? He didn't understand.

"Are you shitting me?" Inuyasha snorted. "Yank his tail and suddenly the brat's useless? Talk about pathetic."

"Sit!"

The boy gritted his teeth, hating the fact that the half-demon was right. The moment his tail was caught, he really couldn't do anything to fight back. What would he have done if this was a real fight? What if he was trying to protect Kagome or another one of their friends and the person that they were up against figured out his weakness like this?

The thought alone sent a shiver up his spine.

"Goku had him beat!" Yamcha argued. "This isn't fair, it's not Goku's fault he loses his power when someone grabs his tail!"

"No, it's not!" Roshi agreed anxiously. "But how did Baba's fighter know about it?!"

"Maybe this guy just got lucky?" Pu'ar suggested.

The masked man chuckled and hoisted the boy up. "Okay, now that I've got you... What should I do with you?"

"You could put me down," he suggested woozily. "I'm feeling dizzy..."

Baba cackled. "Looks like you finally met your match! Which means I won't be showing the dragon ball, after all!"

"Please?" he whimpered.

Inuyasha let out a derisive scoff. "Real tough guy you picked this time, wench."

"SIT, you insufferable jerk," the priestess snarled.

"There's something definitely fishy about all of this," Yamcha exclaimed. "This masked man looked like he knew what he was doing! How the heck did he know about Goku's tail?!"

"... Curious..." Master Roshi murmured.

"This guy fights like Goku, and he seems to know everything about him!" the ex-bandit pointed out frustratedly.

"You're right!" the old man gasped, sounding as though he had just figured out the secrets of the universe. "That's how he can anticipate Goku's moves! And why they have the same powers..." he let out a quiet laugh. "Yes!"

"What are you getting at, Master?" Krillin questioned. "Are you saying you know who this guy is?"

"Oh, yes," Roshi stated. "I believe I do. Yamcha!"

"Yeah?" the older boy asked.

"You were right," the man informed him. "This walking enigma knows everything about Goku!"

"What do you mean?" Bulma pressed worriedly.

"Well, look at them!" the master exclaimed. "They're like mirror images of each other! Tactically speaking, of course. Connected like shadows!"

"What?" the others yelped, turning back towards the fight.

"Stop beating around the bush, you old pervert," Kagome snapped, voice coming out a bit hostile in her effort to mask her own concern.

Roshi spluttered.

"What do you say we call it a day, kiddo?" the masked man offered, his tone surprisingly gentle. It just seemed so _familiar_ to the boy...

"I... can't..." he argued weakly.

They had come so far. Krillin, Yamcha, Kagome, they had all fought so hard - and he had promised. He had told Upa that they would get Bora back, and he refused to go back on that. He owed it to his tiny friend, he owed it to himself... and he owed it to the smile that Kagome had given him when he told her that they were going to save the man without hurting her.

No, he just couldn't back down here. He wouldn't do it.

"Okay," his opponent sighed, shifting his grip on the boy's tail and swinging him around, right before slamming him down on the ground face-first.

Bulma screamed, and he vaguely heard Kagome let out a short stream of curse words - but then it happened again, and again, and his head started to spin too much to make out much of anything other than fuzzy sounds that he knew, somewhere in the back of his brain, were words. He lost count of how many times he got smacked around, getting more and more light-headed as he took the continuous abuse. Still, he refused to give in.

... Kagome really wasn't going to be happy with him this time, but he hoped that it would be worth it.

xxxx

She bit down on her lip so hard that she tasted blood, but she held herself back. This wasn't her fight, it wasn't her place to interfere - and while she was no longer so certain that the masked man wouldn't actually injure Goku, his aura still didn't feel truly _hostile_ to her.

That didn't make watching this any easier, though.

"Stop hurting him!" Upa wailed, echoing her own thoughts no matter how tamped down she was trying to keep them. "Won't somebody help him?!"

The priestess knelt down and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, squeezing it tightly without ever taking her eyes off of the match. "We can't, Upa," she told him, wincing as her partner was swung down yet again. "We can't interfere. I'm sorry."

"I thought you cared about him, Kagome!" he sobbed. "Why?! Why won't you help him?!"

She flinched. "Of course I care about him," she ground out stiffly, dropping her hand and standing back up as her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. "But this is Goku's fight. It's his honor on the line, and it's up to him to determine how far he's willing to go for it."

"She's not wrong," the old pervert agreed, sounding almost grave.

"Cut the dramatics, Roshi," Bulma finally spoke up, her voice surprisingly even. "Who is he? Tell us."

"Who cares about him?!" Krillin blurted out. "Upa's right! We have to save Goku!"

"Master Roshi?" Yamcha insisted.

"Kagome is correct. We have no choice but to watch this play itself out," the man sighed. The others tried to protest, but he continued. "As hard as it is to accept, it isn't our place! Even more than Goku fighting for the sake of his pride, the living have no jurisdiction here! The man that he's fighting... he's not of this world. As impossible as this may sound, that masked man is really Gohan! Goku's deceased grandfather!"

The priestess's shoulders shook slightly and she squeezed her eyes shut for a second, taking a deep breath. It wasn't as though it was impossible; Inuyasha standing on the other side of the ring was proof enough of that. But...

 _Calm down_ , she told herself firmly. _He has to have some kind of reason. Don't let your own feelings blind you to it._

She opened her eyes once more, watching the match sharply as the others gasped over the masked man's identity. He was taking this seriously, but without hostility. Every blow was carefully executed to cause pain, but not permanent damage. He didn't show any reluctance, but he wasn't in a hurry to beat Goku down and win either.

Training, then. That was what he was after. He was trying to take this chance to train the boy, even from beyond the grave.

No wonder his aura was colored by such conflicting emotions of pride and regret.

"S-someone should tell Goku!" Pu'ar declared.

The priestess shot the cat a look from the corner of her eye. "Tell him what, exactly?" she demanded rhetorically. "That he doesn't have to try so hard, it's only his grandpa back from the dead? No. This goes beyond pride now: it's a family matter. If Gohan wants Goku to know who he is, he'll tell him himself. He won't seriously hurt his own grandson."

"Please don't tell me I'm looking at some kind of ghost!" Bulma wailed.

Kagome rolled her eyes, yet again sending a silent apology to her old companions. Now she knew how they must have felt about _her_ ignorance way back when, and she was more than a little bit amazed at the patience they must have had with her.

'Fools,' her other half scoffed rather uncharitably, speaking up for the first time since she had been fighting the Devilman.

She sent it a mental scowl. 'Oh, give them a break. They've never dealt with this kind of thing before.'

'How long have they supposedly known the monkey?' it argued.

There wasn't really anything she could say to counter that.

"Goku's grandfather is most definitely dead," Roshi stated firmly, drawing her out of her thoughts. "That halo over his head isn't just for decoration! Somehow... he's returned!"

An idea struck her and she glanced over at Inuyasha, peeking at the space over his head only to frown. If they had been brought back by the same means, then where was the half-demon's halo? She bit down on the inside of her cheek, flinching at the sound of yet another impact, and turned her attention back to the fight. There would be time for questions later, she told herself. There had to be more to his appearance than just Midoriko wanting to tell her to stay in this world (no matter how serious that piece of information was on its own) and she had every intention of getting to the bottom of it. Just not while her partner needed support, silent though her current show of it may be.

"Why is he hurting Goku?" Bulma questioned weakly.

"I don't think he came all this way to harm his grandson," Roshi spoke up with a shake of his head, taking the words right out of her mouth.

"He's trying to teach him something," Kagome agreed quietly.

The old man nodded. "That would be my guess as well. But what?"

"What a shame," the masked man - _Gohan_ \- spoke up, continuing to smash the boy against the tiles again and again. "All your power gone with one grab of your tail... Had enough? Are you ready to surrender?"

"Be smart!" Baba called out. "Give up while you still have a face!"

"N-no," Goku rejected weakly. "I will never give up..."

The masked man's aura swelled with both pride and a smattering of concern, but he didn't let his emotions color his next words as he hoisted the boy up yet again. "Well, it's your tail on the line, sonny!"

"No, no, no, no, nonono!" Bulma wailed. "I can't watch this anymore! This is insane!"

"How can he be so cruel to his own grandson?" Pu'ar squeaked.

Kagome sighed, her eyes softening just a bit as she watched the two and made a silent little realization. It wasn't as if Gohan _wanted_ to be cruel. He was a fighter, and this was what he knew. Moreover, Goku was the same way - and it wasn't just because that was how he had been raised, it was in his blood. No matter what species he was, that much was clear. And this, _this_ was the only way that the older man knew to ensure that his little boy would be able to live on and protect himself even when he was no longer there to look after him.

The concept was downright demonic, and she really did get it now. After all that time living under Sesshoumaru's roof and her recent integration of the Shikon, this actually felt more natural to her than the more human approach.

No _wonder_ Goku was the way that he was. He not only had his instincts to guide him, he also had the teachings of a man that _understood_ to fall back on in times of uncertainty. She smiled to herself quietly, feeling a great deal of respect for the masked fighter well up in her chest as she absorbed the reality of just what he'd done for her friend. He had taken in a nonhuman child, and not tried to change him into something that he wasn't; on the contrary, he had learned to communicate in the way that Goku needed while trying to instill in him a bit of background on the way that the humans around him would react in certain situations so that he wouldn't be caught too off guard.

That in itself was one in a million, and she knew firsthand how difficult it could be without a great deal of outside help.

No wonder her partner was such a grandpa's boy. Gohan seemed like a great man.

"Stop it," Upa whimpered, obviously not making the same observations as she was.

"Hello, Roshi!" Bulma exploded threateningly, getting into the old man's face. "In case you didn't notice, that's your student out there - and if you don't do something to save him, he's the last one you'll ever have!"

"Goku needs help!" the smallest boy sniffled. "I don't think he'll last much longer!"

Kagome sighed once more and considered trying to explain the nuances that they were overlooking, but quickly decided not to. Upa had already suggested that she didn't care about the tailed boy once, she didn't feel like getting accused of it again just because they wouldn't have been able to work their ways through the inevitable culture shock.

They just didn't get it, and she couldn't really hold it against them. When all you've seen are human interactions, it's damn near impossible to think in any other way. It wasn't like she had been much better just a few years ago.

"But guys, we can't interfere!" Krillin fretted, his eyes wide and locked on the fight. "It's forbidden! If we do, we'll lose the match!"

"Right," Yamcha cringed. "Our helping Goku now would ruin everything we've sacrificed to get to this point!"

"Look at him, he's in pain!" Upa protested. "We can't just stand here and do nothing!"

The priestess's jaw tightened. "That's _exactly_ what we have to do. I know you don't really understand what's going on here, but we have to trust him. Besides, it's not like he would ever forgive us if we broke up his match."

The tiny boy turned betrayed black eyes up at her and opened his mouth to speak.

"Feh!" an unexpected voice barked from the other side of the arena. "You lot ain't all that smart, are ya?"

Kagome glanced over, meeting Inuyasha's knowing, golden gaze - and was more than a little stunned to see a flash of approval in his eyes. Not only that, but looking at him now... _Really_ looking at him... There was a depth to him that hadn't been there before he'd died.

She had been right earlier, then. There was definitely more to that story.

"The brat's gotta fight his own battles," the half-demon continued, his gruff drawl loud enough for them to hear even without him coming any closer. "Just listen to the wench and the geezer and butt out already! What the fuck happened to all that faith you had in him earlier, huh? Some friends you are."

The priestess couldn't help but smile a bit, despite the exclamations of those around her. It was weird, having her once-protector back her up like that. It reminded her that not all of their times together had been bad, and it made her realize something a bit unsettling.

She'd forgiven him for the way it had ended between them. She wasn't sure when, and she wasn't sure how it had happened after she had changed so much from the naive schoolgirl who'd never been able to hurt a fly, but she had. Somewhere in there, under all the pain and the anger, she had accepted that he was an idiot and couldn't always process the extent of what he was doing.

He'd been her best friend once. While they could never go back to that, it was starting to dawn on her that he might have been onto something earlier - maybe she really _hadn't_ changed as much as she had always thought...

That realization honestly terrified her, and she quickly turned her attention back to the match. She didn't _want_ to be that girl anymore. She didn't _want_ to be weak like that ever again.

But... looking at her partner, knowing his own personality... was it really a weakness?

No, she wasn't going to think about this right now. She refused.

Gohan's eyes drifted over them all as he finally stopped swinging the boy around, only to pause when they came to her. Her shoulders shifted and she stared right back, but gave him a short nod of understanding and respect. He chuckled and returned the gesture gratefully.

"Is it... over?" Goku questioned shakily.

"Your friends are loyal," the man spoke, returning his gaze down to the boy. "They care a lot about you." Goku gaped up at him, obviously stunned. He shifted his attention back over to them once more, his aura humming with pride. She got the impression that he was smiling under that mask. "Any one of them would lay down their life for you without question."

The tailed boy cringed a bit and forced himself to follow his grandfather's line of sight, taking in each of them before following the older fighter's example and pausing on her for a moment. He tried to force a smile on his face, but it came out as more of a grimace. "H-hello," he greeted the lot of them, his small form shaking from the pain he was in as well as the fact that his tail was still prisoner.

"Can we get on with this?" Baba interrupted impatiently, floating in a bit closer to the pair of fighters. "I'm having my ball waxed in an hour."

The masked man sighed. "Certainly, my dear Baba; it's almost over. The boy and I just have a few more things to pound out first," he explained, hauling Goku into the air once more and continuing the earlier beatdown.

Kagome considered knocking the old woman off her crystal for butting in on their moment, but forced herself to calm down.

"I got it!" Krillin suddenly spoke up excitedly. "I know how we can help Goku! We can call for a timeout - they do it in other sports all the time! This way, we're not interfering with his match but we can still let him have a break!"

"A _break_?" the blue-haired girl scoffed. "He's already broken!"

"Ha, ha!" the bald boy huffed sarcastically.

"If he lasts, he might be able to get his strength back!" Upa suggested.

"No," Roshi declared a bit sharply, catching the two youngest off guard. "No one is going to help Goku! It is crucial he faces his grandfather without interruption."

"This is ridiculous!" Bulma growled. "Goku doesn't even know who he's fighting!"

"That fact will be revealed in time, I assure you," the old man grumbled. "Patience!"

Kagome shook her head wryly. Of course the only one capable of thinking outside the human constrictions would just have to be the pervert, wouldn't it? Oh, well. Considering that he was also the one that was _teaching_ the boy, maybe that was for the best in the end.

"How much longer can Goku hold on?" the blue-haired girl whined.

"How much longer is his _grandfather_ gonna hold on?" Krillin countered.

"As long as they need to," the priestess stated simply.

Roshi shot her an approving nod, and she just almost felt like she could eventually come to respect him. Maybe.

Only time would tell, really.

"Gohan was not a reckless man," the old master informed them as he turned his gaze back to the fight, beginning to sound irritated. "We must have faith in his judgment! He won't give Goku any more than he can handle. Goku will want to see this fight through to the end!"

"But why?" Pu'ar cried out.

"Stop making excuses!" Bulma shouted. "What his grandfather is doing is _cruel_!"

"Stop thinking like a _human_ for two seconds and open your eyes!" Kagome snapped, her own patience running thin. "This isn't _cruelty_ , it's a _lesson_. How many times have you said it yourself? Goku's not a normal kid, and you need to stop thinking that he is whenever something goes against your own views. This is something that he _needs_ , and Gohan has my respect for being willing to do this for him."

They all gaped at her incredulously, but she threw her shoulders back primly and stood firm despite the urge to shout at Inuyasha to stop laughing so hard. Whether they got it or not, the boy wasn't in any real danger and she didn't appreciate that they were so sure of him one minute and then screaming the next.

Her eyes suddenly went wide, a sound of disbelief falling from her lips as her partner's tail literally snapped off under the abuse.

"You were _saying_?!" Bulma shrieked.

Gohan's aura raged with surprise of his own as he stared at the fuzzy appendage still clutched in his hand. Goku began to scream with pain as he jolted to his feet and started to run around the arena, his hands pressed to the now empty hole in the back of his pants.

"... That had to hurt..." the masked man murmured, sounding a bit dumbstruck. "Well, at least you don't have to worry about people pulling it anymore!"

Roshi laughed uncomfortably. "I don't believe it! The darn thing came right off! So much for that weakness, huh?"

Kagome's eye twitched a bit at the mercurial change in everyone's attitudes at that.

"Wow!" Bulma gasped, beginning to grin.

"Now he can win!" Krillin declared excitedly.

"Alright!" Upa cheered.

She chewed her lower lip worriedly. They didn't really get it, did they? The boy had just lost a _limb_! She had no idea how it had come off that easily, but there was no way he was okay right now! Earlier, he was fine - but now? Oh, now they were all happy and not even considering how much pain he had to be in at the moment.

Gods, she had no idea what to do with these people. Maybe they couldn't help it, but that didn't mean she had to agree with them.

Gohan seemed almost numb, his aura coloring with concern and regret.

"It's sore!" Goku whimpered, dancing around and trying to shake off how much it hurt. It did occur to the priestess that maybe it wasn't quite as painful as she had been assuming, going by the fact that he could still stand, but it still couldn't be comfortable. "Ow, owww!" He shot a teary glare at the masked man. "You meany! Why'd you have to go and take off my tail?! That isn't fair and you know it!"

The older fighter's aura relaxed a bit, apparently coming to the same conclusion as she had. While the boy may be hurting, he wasn't hurting _that_ much - and his greatest disadvantage had just been completely removed.

Still, she was going to have to pamper him when it came to dinner that night. The poor kid had been through a lot lately, and he deserved some serious downtime.

"Beat him, Goku!" Pu'ar called.

"There's no weakness to hold you back!" Bulma added with a grin.

Even Yamcha nodded in agreement, Upa and Krillin celebrating the newest development by bouncing up and down happily with their hands linked between them.

The no-longer-tailed boy shifted into a fighting stance, his expression fierce. "You won't trick me like that again!" he growled, his golden aura shifting around him and swelling with his determination - proof that he was taking this seriously now. He shifted a bit, keeping his form low as he slowly moved closer to the masked man while keeping on the defensive.

Gohan chuckled quietly, the sounds of mirth increasing in volume as his own aura sang once more of pride and a rather considerable helping of guilt. Just like she had thought earlier, it was obvious that he hadn't really wanted to _hurt_ his grandson, but that he _had_ been bound and determined that the boy learn how to deal with his weak spot before a serious opponent found a way to take advantage of it. "I surrender," he declared, catching them all off guard.

Goku gaped at him. "Did I just hear you right?" he blurted out incredulously. "Did you say you surrender?"

The older fighter laughed again, the sound free of guile.

"Hey, wait..." the boy realized. "You're really telling the truth, aren't you?"

"Of course I am," Gohan assured. "I surrender; I am defeated."

Kagome couldn't help but grin to herself.

"O... kay...?" her partner accepted haltingly.

"Did he just win?" Yamcha questioned.

"Mhm," Roshi confirmed.

Baba frowned. "This is most irregular!" she squawked.

"Goku," the masked man spoke, taking a step towards his grandson. "You have worked hard and grown strong in such a short amount of time!" he praised.

"How come you already know my name?" the boy wondered.

"Unfortunately," Gohan continued, holding up the detached tail, "you never mastered your one weakness. This tail would be your undoing one day! I always told you that, remember?"

Goku's expression slowly colored with disbelief. "W-wait a minute...! Y-you're my...!"

"Oh, thank goodness!" the man let out a relieved sigh. "I was so tired of wearing this mask," he declared, reaching up and pulling it off his face. He smiled warmly. "Did the whiskers give me away?"

The boy was literally shaking. "Is that you, Grandpa?" he questioned, almost sounding afraid to believe it as he hesitantly began to approach. He studied the grinning fighter for a moment, his nose twitching and his expression melting into awed excitement. "Yes... it is you!" he shouted, throwing caution to the wind and breaking into a run. "Grandpa! Grandpa!"

"That's right!" the old man laughed, holding his arms out to catch the boy in a hug. "It's me, my boy, it's me!"

Goku launched himself into the air, latching onto the older fighter's face and very nearly knocking him right over. Gohan made a rather impressive save and caught himself, holding his grandson close as the boy babbled happily for a few moments about how very much he had missed him.

"W-where have you been?" Goku asked, tears running down his cheeks as he finally pulled away to see his grandfather's face. "I thought you...!" He let out a sob and latched onto the man once more, wailing noisily into his shirt.

"There there, now, stop your crying," the man hushed.

"I looked everywhere for you and I couldn't find you!" the boy choked.

Bulma gave a quiet sniffle. "Goku... I've never seen him like this."

"With all the strength and accomplishments, it's easy to forget he's just a kid," Yamcha agreed, his own eyes a bit moist.

"Goku... he's happy!" Upa beamed.

Kagome's own smile was far sadder, colored by the knowledge that soon enough it would have to dawn on her little friend that his grandpa wasn't back to stay. That he really was dead, and that he would have to go back to the afterlife sooner rather than later unless he wanted to acquire a debt with the gods.

Still, this was a chance for them to say goodbye. A chance that, from the sound of things, they hadn't gotten before. For that, she was grateful.

"Goku, how's your backside feeling?" Gohan questioned worriedly. "Does it still hurt?"

The boy shook his head in response, grinning away as he scrubbed the back of his wrist over his face in an effort to wipe away the tears.

The older fighter ruffled his hair, smiling gently. "I didn't mean to break your tail, my boy - I was just trying to prove a point," he explained. "You have to learn to protect your weaknesses, like I always told you. Now, are you okay?"

"I'm alright, Grandpa," Goku assured, still trying to get himself back under control.

Gohan chuckled softly, his whole being radiating warmth. "Aside from that, I must tell you I was impressed by your strength! I never expected you could beat me in a match. Have you been taking lessons from Master Roshi?"

The boy nodded, turning his eyes towards the group. "Uh-huh!"

Kagome just smiled quietly and sighed, moving her own gaze over to meet Inuyasha's. He was staring at her, an expectant gleam in his eye. She firmed her jaw and shook her head, silently communicating that their own inevitable discussion would have to wait a bit longer. Much as she knew that they needed to talk, much as she knew in her head that she had already forgiven the half-demon, the thought of facing him again one-on-one still caused her chest to tighten with anxiety.

The older fighter followed his gaze, eyes widening in surprise as he grinned and quickly brought his palms together over his chest and giving a short bow in a show of respect. "Master Roshi!" he greeted. "It's an honor to see you again, my old friend!"

The old pervert inclined his head in agreement. "Likewise. It's been a long time, Gohan! I almost didn't recognize you behind that silly mask!"

"Oh," Gohan demurred sheepishly. "Well, if I kept my secrecy I thought it was necessary. I was afraid if Goku knew my true identity, he would hold back and not use his full power!"

Roshi nodded. "Yes, yes, I understand. How else could you have accurately measured the boy's true growth?"

"Master Roshi?" Bulma spoke up.

The old pervert turned back towards her. "Yes?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you told us that Goku's grandfather was dead!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed. The others nodded in agreement.

"Did... Did you really come back to life, Grandpa?" the boy asked.

"Oh no, Goku, I didn't come back to life," the older fighter quickly corrected.

"For the sake of not passing out, I'll pretend you didn't say that!" the blue-haired girl shrieked. "I'm talking to a dead man..."

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed, walking over to join them. "Talk about slow." The priestess shot him a look, and he returned it with a distinctly unimpressed air. "Shut up, wench. You may have the rest or yer life ahead of ya, but I ain't gonna be able to stick around for much longer before I gotta go back. So listen the hell up, got it?"

She clenched her fists tightly, ignoring Bulma's yelp that there were _two_ dead men right in front of her, and the injustice that one of them had died so young and good-looking. "Fine," she stated shortly. "Talk, then."

He glowered at her. "You really want these idiots hearin' everything?" he challenged.

Kagome frowned at him. "You didn't have any problem spewing things in front of them before," she pointed out argumentatively.

The half-demon scowled. "If ya think I actually got to anything important, you're dumber than they are. Look, you may not'a liked it, but you were still the emissary of the West and the bastard's actin' alpha female because of the brats. Then ya got the shit with being brought into the House of the Moon, and the facts start addin' up a certain way. Got it? Then ya pretty much named the monkey brat over there pack, and you know what that means. Without the bastard or the other brat around to scare the shit outta any sorry bastard that decides to try and court ya-"

"I can deal with that kind of thing by _myself_ , Inuyasha!" she tried to interject, only for him to continue talking right over her.

"-that means _he'd_ hafta be the one to deal with it, and then there's all the different mating rights that go along with bein' the last living heir of the Lands if he ever decides to give it a crack himself - I mean, who knows, he seems crazy enough-"

"For kami's sake, how many times do I have to point out the eight year age gap!" she snarled, stomping over and tugging one of his ears. He winced, but ignored it.

"Eight years is nothin' and you know it, wench! My dad was over a thousand and my mom was fifteen when they had me, and we both know that you're gonna be around at least that long all on yer own. Now where was I?" he huffed as she started dragging him a short ways off, no longer willing to deal with the questions that the others were no doubt forming just for the sake of being stubborn. "Oh, yeah. You've still got Suzumiya to deal with, too; the sorry bastard didn't just fuck with you when he made that goddamn wish, he fucked with the West - and that means his ass is yours to rip apart as ya please. And then..."

She palmed her face tiredly as he rambled on, going over things that she already knew and basically being a patronizing ass while he did so.

Just like old times, she thought frustratedly.

xxxx

A/N: Holy crap, has it really been a month since I last updated?! I am so sorry, guys! I have no idea how the time managed to get away from me like that. Again, I am so sorry. I promise I'll do my best to get back to a more frequent updating schedule.

On the plus side, we finally approach the first three year time-skip! Once Goku's fifteen, the romance will start getting a bit more blatant. Kagome's still going to be having issues with the age difference and such, obviously, but our favorite little monkey's going to be taking note of a few things as he gets older. Innocent as he may be, instincts (not to mention puberty, dreaded thing that it is) can certainly go a long way when dealt with under the correct circumstances...

Edit: Okay, so a comment pointed out to me that the Inu no Taishou was way older than what I'd first written (which, I'll be honest, I just scribbled in at random because I couldn't remember ever seeing his age anywhere) so I went ahead and looked it up, only to find that, while it doesn't ever state blatantly how old he is to the year, it does say that he's at least 3000. So, leaving that pretty open there while still letting Inuyasha make his point better than ever. Thanks to the person who brought that up to me; I hate being inaccurate just because I was feeling lazy about double-checking my backgrounds.

(Second) Edit: 8/27/16


	23. Chapter 23

Goku frowned to himself as Kagome dragged the half-demon off, not liking at all the way that they had gone from such hostility to almost being... _Friendly_ with each other. She had been so scared earlier, and then she had gotten mad, and now she was just standing there and letting him rant at her?

"She's a very beautiful girl," his grandpa remarked with a proud smile, drawing the boy's attention away from the pair. "She even seems to understand you, my boy - it does my heart good to see that."

He couldn't help the grin that swept over his expression. "Yeah," he agreed. "Kagome's the best partner I ever could have asked for!"

"Goku does seem to have inherited your taste for brunettes," Master Roshi laughed.

"Ugh, stop bein' so fucking difficult!" Inuyasha shouted frustratedly before the boy could ask what they were talking about, his voice going so loud that they could hear them even on the other side of the arena. "Look, the whole heiress shit mighta sailed, but you're a _Lady_ now! Ya got duties!"

"And I'll _honor_ those duties, asshole!" Kagome screamed right back at him. "But I was a priestess before _your brother_ adopted me into this mess, and that comes first! I gave my word to help someone, and I'm going to follow through on it if it _kills_ me!"

"WELL IT JUST MIGHT IF SUZUMIYA DECIDES TO TAKE ANOTHER CRACK AT YA!"

"THE STUPID BIRD CAN JUST _TRY IT_!"

"Uh-oh," Goku murmured, seeing his partner start to spark with mercurial light.

"S-she really was a princess?" Bulma squeaked.

The once-tailed boy turned a quick glance over his shoulder, took in the looks of dumbstruck awe on all of their faces, and winced a bit. Kagome wouldn't be too happy about having Inuyasha throw all of that out in the open before she was ready to do it herself...

"AND JUST HOW ARE YOU PLANNIN' ON TAKIN' CARE OF IT IF HE _DOES_?!" the half-demon continued to yell.

The priestess paused for a moment and Inuyasha started to smirk in victory, but then her eyes flashed completely silver for a second and she gave a calculating grin. "Like _this_!" she announced with a proud laugh, reaching out and tugging the rosary off right over the man's head. "So Sesshoumaru went and subjugated the East?! I'll just subjugate their ex-Lord!"

The half-demon gaped at her dumbly as she continued to cackle.

Goku couldn't help but smile when she wrapped the beads around her wrist, turned on her heel, and started walking back to them with barely a wave goodbye to Inuyasha.

"Thanks for this!" she called cheekily back to the half-demon. "Rest in peace!"

The twelve-year-old broke into guffaws at the man's dumbfounded expression.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that they were more friendly. He couldn't help but think back to when she'd found her bag when he looked at the bright grin on her face.

She seemed lighter again, and that made him happy.

xxxx

Kagome walked back over to her laughing partner, her shoulders thrown back and her head held high. She might have run away from her past earlier in the ring, but not this time - never again if she could help it. But she wouldn't hold onto it until it killed her, either.

This time, she was really and truly letting Inuyasha go. The anger, the hurt, all of it; she would remember him without the rose-colored glasses, but she refused to ever _become_ him.

She was Kagome freaking Higurashi, priestess of the Shikon Jewel and now (even though she didn't particularly _want_ to be) Lady of the Western Lands. And possibly the East, considering they would have gone to her adopted brother as recompense thanks to the blood oaths. And okay, she really needed to find out if he had ever gone through with his plans for world domination...

Well, damn. Maybe she should just swear to protect the whole Earth and be done with it, just in case. And how did all of this even transfer to a different dimension in the first place?!

But, well, she also knew that the idiot had a point. As soon as they had saved Bora, she would have to ask Goku if he wouldn't mind going with her to track down Suzumiya... And if he didn't _want_ to go with her, well, she would just have to do it by herself. Inuyasha was right: she had a duty to take care of the stupid pheasant. A duty that was hers alone, even if she had sort of unofficially claimed the boy as pack.

The priestess really hoped that her partner would be willing to stick with her a bit longer. She wasn't ready to say goodbye to the little monkey just yet.

She chuckled to herself as she locked eyes with Goku, sapphire to obsidian, and a random thought crossed her mind... Now all that was missing was that boy born from a peach and they really would be a bad pun on the legend of Momotarou; just like she had mocked the bird all that time ago at the very beginning of this crazy journey.

They very well might have to keep an eye out for one. Just in case.

"You're really a princess!" Bulma yelped as soon as she got close enough, one finger flying into the older girl's face accusingly.

Kagome winced. They had heard that, huh? " _Was_ ," she corrected. "And technically I was just one of the named heirs because I was helping raise Brother's adopted daughter - I wasn't _actually_ supposed to ever inherit."

"B-but a _princess_!" The blue-haired teen babbled hysterically.

She sighed. "Look, I'm not even sure if the Western Lands are technically still-"

"The _Western Lands_!" Roshi, Baba and Krillin all shrieked. Even Gohan was gaping at her now, despite that the others looked a bit lost.

"T-the Western Lands..." The old master choked. "T-the legendary moving nation that exists somewhere between this world and the next, known to be out of reach for mere mortals?! _Those_ Western Lands?!"

The priestess fought back a groan. 'Between this world and the next', was it? "So _that's_ how the whole issue carried over to this Earth..."

Sesshoumaru must have done something that moved his territory between dimensions. In fact, actually knowing the crazy old dog and giving it a bit more thought, that was _exactly_ the kind of thing he would have done. No wonder she hadn't sensed any of the blood wards or boundaries even when she'd been standing in a place literally called _West City_.

What a mess.

"We can talk about this more later," she finally spoke up, interrupting what looked to be a building knot of mass hysteria. "Baba, would you mind finding where the last dragon ball is? We really do need to revive Bora soon."

If, of course, it was possible at all. She was holding out hope, though - and she would be the last person to ever bring up the possibility of it not working in front of Upa or Goku.

They both believed that it would work _so much_ that she wanted to as well.

"Kagome's right," her partner chimed in agreement. "We really should get going."

Gohan smiled down at him gently, reaching out to place a hand on top of the boy's head. "Alright, my boy. Be safe and look after yourself - and this beautiful young partner of yours, too. Remember all that I taught you about girls, Goku! Be a gentleman! And, lastly... know that I am so very proud of you."

Goku grinned up at him tearily and nodded, rushing to give him one more tight hug. "I will, Grandpa. I promise."

The priestess gave a melancholy smile, thinking of her own lost family.

Her grandpa and Souta probably would have loved this crazy place so much...

A strong hand plopped down on her shoulder, wrenching her from her thoughts and making her give a startled squeak as she was spun around. "What the...!"

"I wasn't done talkin' yet!" Inuyasha's huffed, gold eyes meeting blue.

She stared him down impatiently. "What more was there to actually _say_? You already griped at me about the whole Lady thing!"

His ears flattened against his skull and he looked away, crossing his arms uncomfortably across his chest. "I ain't apologized yet," he grumbled, voice so low that she just almost missed it entirely.

Her jaw dropped. "Um... _What_?"

He gave a petulant growl, his cheeks turning a bit pink. "I said I ain't apologized yet!" he barked, shooting her an embarrassed glower. "I really fucked you over back then, and I was a major ass all the time, and I'm _sorry_!"

She gaped at him for a long moment, finally reaching up and pinching herself to make sure that she wasn't dreaming.

"Oh, come on!" he shouted. "Is it really _that_ hard to believe?!"

The priestess gave him a look. "You actually have to ask that?"

He grumbled and hunched in on himself, looking away again. "Goddamn wench..."

Seeing as he didn't have the rosary on to sit him anymore, she kicked his shin.

The half-demon yelped and hopped up and down on his good leg, cradling the bruised one with clawed hands. "What the hell, Kagome!"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Learn to deal with your feelings like a civilized person!" she challenged him, inwardly laughing at how comfortable she was actually being with him. Four years of angst, and yet not even ten minutes talking and it really was feeling just like old times. "You might actually have an easier time in your next life if you do, you idiot!"

He growled at her, but she could tell by the light in his eyes that he wasn't really mad.

The priestess sighed and gave him a soft smile. "You're forgiven, Inuyasha. And, well... Thanks for keeping me alive back then. I know I didn't make it easy."

A slow, relieved grin overtook his expression. "Keh! Don't worry 'bout it!"

She felt a hand slip into hers and she looked down, meeting Goku's wide black eyes as he gave her a grin of his own. He had probably figured out by now just what properly saying goodbye had meant to her; as dumb as most people seemed to think he was, he was downright astute when it came to certain things.

"Baba's got the directions ready for us!" he told her.

She nodded and turned around, giving one last glance over her shoulder to give the half-demon an appreciative nod. "Goodbye, Inuyasha."

His response was again so quiet she almost wasn't sure she'd heard it.

"See ya later, wench."

xxxx

A/N: I am so, _so_ sorry it took so long to update this! And it's such a short chapter even now...! *cries* A bunch of things out of my control ended up happening, including my keyboard dying and having to move three different times in the past five months. (From Texas up to Minnesota, then back down to Texas and now to Alabama...) Again, I am _so_ sorry.

Good news: I promise I'm not dropping this story. I'm going to see this monster through to the very end, and possibly even then some! I'm not even kidding, I even want to go in at some point and write a Momotarou parody centered around these guys with probably Piccolo Jr. being the main character. (I mean, come on - the whole egg drifting down the stream thing! It's so perfect!) It's more than likely going to be a special chapter sometime during the three-year time skip after this upcoming one.

However... Bad news: I'm probably going to have to go ahead and announce a short hiatus for just a bit longer. But I promise, I _will_ have more for you by either the end of August or the beginning of September!

Okay, and lastly: I'm probably going to go back and edit a few of the past chapters, just to clean up some typos and whatnot. As much as it frustrates me when an author does that and it makes me think that there are updates when there are _not_ , I did find several mistakes when I went through and reread everything recently.

Thank you all so much for sticking with this story and having so much patience with me! It means a whole lot, and I love you all!

Edit: 8/27/26


	24. Chapter 24

Goku still held onto Kagome's hand as they rode on Nimbus to go find the last dragon ball. They had just left the others, and soon they would bring Bora back - but part of him felt like he had just lost his grandpa all over again, even if he wouldn't have traded the chance to get to talk to him one more time for anything. Holding her hand helped.

"It was nice seeing them again, wasn't it?" the girl spoke up quietly.

He blinked up at her. She had a small smile on her face, and her expression was full of understanding. He smiled back and nodded in agreement; it was true. Even if trying to figure out how it had happened did make his brain hurt a little.

Inuyasha had disappeared right after apologizing to the priestess, and Baba'd explained how she sometimes went between the Living World and the Other World when she needed new fighters. It turned out that Goku's grandfather had approached her in the hopes that the boy would wind up at her Palace someday, but she had admitted a bit absentmindedly that she hadn't planned on taking Inuyasha as well. Apparently someone really important had asked her to do so as a favor, and she hadn't been able to refuse.

He still felt warm from the hug Grandpa had given him when they'd said goodbye, and he grinned. At least now he knew that the man was happy, even if he was still dead. "Maybe if we're lucky we'll run into them again someday!"

She laughed brightly, and something in him relaxed as that last little bit of melancholy left his chest. Everything would be alright; saying goodbye to someone you loved might be sad, but the two of them were partners! Neither one of them was ever going to really be alone so long as they stuck together.

"Hey, is that it?" Kagome blurted out, leaning forward on the could and pointing down at the road.

The boy turned quickly, his eyes widening and a grin stretching across his face as he took in the red car zooming towards them. "It's gotta be!" he agreed excitedly, letting go of her hand and jumping to his feet. "Come on, Nimbus!"

They swooped down, and his partner shot him a look when she realized what he was about to do. " _Goku_..."

He grinned at her. "What? We have to talk to them somehow!" He defended, right as he jumped onto the roof. It made a loud thud as he landed, and he looked back up in time to see Kagome smacking her forehead.

"W-w-what was that noise?" He heard a voice question from inside the vehicle.

"A rock, maybe?" Someone else suggested uncertainly. "Or a bird?"

The priestess hopped down beside him, making another thud. "Twerp," she huffed.

Goku made a face.

"T-that didn't sound like a rock," a third voice said nervously from inside the car.

The boy peeked in through the windshield with a friendly grin, hoping that these people would be nice. "Hi, there!" he called. "Have you found a dragon ball?"

Then he saw who was inside, and his eyes went wide. They seemed familiar...

"Hey, do I know you?" he asked. A person in a long coat, a dog dressed like a ninja, and a little blue guy... He'd met them before, right? He was pretty sure he had. _Especially_ the little blue guy. "Haven't I seen you around someplace?"

"What are you talking about?" Kagome questioned, leaning over to look in as well.

The trio in the car screamed and swerved violently, throwing the two of them off. He and his partner both managed to land on their feet, but he couldn't help but think that reaction was pretty familiar, too.

The boy crossed his arms with a frown. He knew these people! He was sure he did!

"Goku, wasn't that the little creep that called you a monster way back when?" Kagome spoke up, looking a little worried.

He jolted, realizing that she was right. He could even hear them talking, something about a safe that was supposed to be able to block out his radar, and that cemented it for him.

"Hey, I remember you!" He accused, running over into a better position so that he could see them through the windows but still have plenty of space between them. "I've fought with you before - you're bad people! You tried to hurt me and my friends!"

Kagome was right behind him, her hand already on her sword. "Well, I guess this means we've definitely found the last dragon ball," she murmured.

Goku blinked up at her. "What do you mean?"

She gave a wry little huff. "These idiots have a history of trying to collect them, right? It would make sense if they'd have been able to find at least one. It's a lot more likely than if some regular person had come across it by accident, at least."

His eyes widened and he nodded a few times in agreement before turning his attention back on the car with a frown. "Get out of there!" He shouted at the trio. As easy as it would have been to catch back up to them on Nimbus, it would have been frustrating if the bad guys tried to run away.

The doors opened and the three did as they were told, but the smiles on their faces were making him a bit nervous. Why would they be so happy to see him?

"They're up to something," Kagome murmured, apparently thinking the same thing.

The group walked towards the pair after returning the car to its capsule, the wind picking up around them all. Right behind him, the boy heard his partner unsheathe her sword.

"So," the little blue guy spoke up with a smirk. "We meet once again. Or should I say one last time?"

Goku frowned darkly. "I know that you only want to get all the dragon balls to make some awful wish, but we have something really important to do with them. So hand it over!" He ordered, holding a hand out expectantly.

Blue burst into laughter. "What? Do you think that you have some puny little dream that's worthier than my imperial ambitions? Maybe we should flip a coin for it! Wait, I have an idea; why don't we have an old-fashioned showdown right here? Winner take all. If you beat us, I'll personally hand over this dragon ball - but if you lose, we get the six you already have in your possession!"

"Like hell, you little idiot!" Kagome barked, surprising the boy and making the other three squawk with indignation. "I'm not too sure how you knew we already had the other balls, but in what universe does that 'deal' of yours make any sense? Not only are you suggesting a three-on-two brawl, but the prize is completely uneven!"

Well, she did have a point...

The blue guy growled at her. "In that case, we'll just have to beat you up and take them from you anyway!"

Goku scoffed and shifted into a fighting position. "Let's do this!"

"Well get a load of this!" Blue creamed angrily, each of the three pulling out a capsule and throwing them into the air.

When the smoke cleared, it left behind three giant robot-looking things.

"Let's go!" The dog yelled, rushing towards the green one.

"Hurry!" The one in the coat shouted as well, leaping for the cockpit of the pink one.

"Wait! Hey! Wait!" The last of the trio ordered with a yelp, scurrying over to the one that was the same color as him but a shade or two darker. He jumped up dangled there, unable to quite pull himself up as he squirmed in the air. "I need a boost!"

The priestess moved up next to the boy, a look of utter disbelief on her face. "Are these morons serious?"

Goku blinked, feeling a bit uncertain himself. "What in the world...?"

"Ta-dah!" Blue's voice laughed, sounding like it was coming out of a speaker. "We just thought we'd slip into something more comfortable-"

"What is this, a date?" Kagome interrupted with a scoff. "Shut up and fight!"

The trio started squawking indignantly once again.

The boy, on the other hand, tilted his head up and to one side as he looked over at his partner curiously. "What's a date?"

She sighed tiredly. "Well, you see..."

xxxx

"... And that's what a date is," Kagome finished explaining, jumping out off the way of a giant robotic fist without even looking.

"I don't get it!" Goku sighed, ducking and rolling out of the way of what looked like a laser aimed his way as well. "How is it special to just do things like eat or have fun with someone? We do that all the time!"

The priestess groaned and rolled her eyes. "You'll get it when you're older."

"Kagomeeee!" He whined.

"Stop ignoring us!" The military-looking woman wailed pitifully.

"You'll regret this!" The little blue idiot shouted. Kagome was pretty sure that one of the others had called him 'Emperor Pilaf' at one point and was half tempted to start making rice jokes, but that probably would have been inappropriate. "I _swear_ you'll regret underestimating us like this!"

"But swearing's bad!" Goku yelped, his eyes going wide.

The priestess fought down a laugh, even as rice-boy screamed with outrage.

"Shu! Mai! We're back to the original plan!" Pilaf ordered angrily, looking about ready to start tearing his hair out. Well, if he actually _had_ any hair hiding under that beanie at least. "Just shove the girl out of the way if you need to!"

"Yes, sir!" The other two responded dutifully, the trio all rushing to circle the pair on three sides.

Kagome gripped Reikenkon a little more tightly, despite the fact that a sword was pretty much useless in this fight. If nothing else, the weight of it in her hands put her at ease; she was actually getting a little bit nervous with this unexpected show of strategy.

"Okay!" Their leader yelled. "We'll go on my count! One!"

Without a word, the priestess moved so that she and her partner were back-to-back.

"Two!"

"Wai - hang on a second, Emperor!" The talking dog suddenly called out, interrupting his boss's count-down.

"What's the problem now?!" Rice-boy barked.

"I don't see his tail anywhere!" The flunky shouted. "Maybe he's got it stuck inside his pants or something?"

Oh, those rotten bastards. Kagome wasn't sure where they'd learned about Goku's weak point, but one thing was for sure: the dishonorable idiots were fully prepared to fight dirty if it meant getting what they wanted.

"What!" Pilaf yelped. "Uh, let me think-"

"Aim for the joints," she snarled to the boy. "They're more likely to break."

 _Crush the fools!_ The Shikon hissed in her ear.

She darted forward and, reinforcing Reikenkon with a thick layer of ki, smashed it solidly against rice-boy's robot's kneecaps like she was swinging a baseball bat.

The trio screamed as the metal shattered.

Goku followed right behind her with one of his Kamehameha waves, blowing off one of the pink suit's arms.

It was downright one-sided after that, and they had the last dragon ball in no time.

xxxx

"I can't wait to tell Upa!" Goku announced excitedly as they sped along on Nimbus. They were bound to get back to Baba's place quickly - the cloud was going so fast that everything below them was a blur.

Kagome smiled a bit worriedly, her hands tightening over the last ball.

The boy frowned. "What's wrong?" He questioned, his own nerves rising up a bit as the concern washed over her face.

She just shook her head and avoided his gaze. "It's nothing."

He knew that she was lying, but he didn't have enough time to get the truth out of her before they saw the palace pop up on the horizon and Nimbus began to slow down some for their descent.

"Hey!" The priestess called out to the group below them, drawing Krillin's attention.

"Look, guys!" The bald boy shouted excitedly, pointing up at them. "Goku and Kagome are back!"

The rest of the group quickly turned to look up at them as well, each and every one of them smiling and rushing up to greet them as the partners reached the ground.

"Is that really it?" Upa questioned eagerly, seeing the ball still in Kagome's hands. "The last ball?

"So you did find it!" Bulma grinned.

"That's right!" Goku laughed happily, crossing his arms over the back of his head.

Yamcha stepped a bit closer. "Hey, tell us about your trip!" He requested. "Who was in the car?"

The younger fighter waved him off. "We'll tell you about it later. You ready, Upa?"

"You bet!" The youngest agreed excitedly.

Goku grinned and held out a hand to his partner, silently asking her to give him the ball. She did so with a small nod, and he grinned even brighter. "Now that we've got all of the dragon balls, it's time to bring your dad back!" He told the smaller boy, reclaiming his bag even as Kagome picked up her own from where she'd left it next to the arena.

"Sorry, Nimbus," the priestess said as she settled back onto the cloud, her partner right beside her. "No time to rest quite yet."

"Here, be sure to hold on tight," Goku instructed as he helped Upa up into Kagome's lap. "This thing goes pretty fast."

"The faster, the better!" The smaller boy grinned, clinging to the girl's shirt.

"Okay," the young fighter announced to the others as Nimbus lifted them slowly into the air. "We'll be back as soon as we get Bora back where he belongs!"

"Thank you!" Upa called out as well. "I'll never forget you guys!"

"We'll miss you!" Pu'ar shouted.

"Now you mind your father, boy!" Master Roshi added.

With tears in his eyes, the child nodded. "I won't ever disobey him again," he promised.

Goku and Kagome shared a smile.

"Let's go," the priestess suggested gently.

The boy in her lap nodded again, giving his face a quick scrub with the back of his wrist. "Okay," he agreed.

"See you soon!" Goku shouted to the others as finally left, shooting off into the distance.

xxxx

"Um... Goku?" Upa questioned after they'd been in the air for a few minutes. "Is this... really going to work?"

Kagome fought down a wince. She'd been wondering the same thing since they'd gotten the last ball, but she hadn't had the heart to actually put it into words. What if all of this was for nothing? What if they summoned the dragon only to be told that it couldn't do that - or worse, what if Bora was brought back as an undead or a ghost like Kikyou had been?

"Don't worry so much," her partner assured easily. "Everything'll work out! You can trust the Eternal Dragon."

The smaller boy was immediately soothed, but Kagome was still nervous.

"Faster!" Upa requested with a laugh. "Let's go faster!"

Nimbus obliged.

Even the priestess started to relax some when the scenery around them took a turn for the more peaceful, though, and she couldn't help but smile as the two boys played together like a couple of normal kids. Well, normal kids with a flying cloud at least.

By the time they reached Korin's Tower again, she was more resolute. If the dragon said that bringing Bora back was out of its power, she would offer up her own strength as well.

Like Goku had said, everything would work out. She would make _sure_ of it.

"That's Father's grave right over there," Upa murmured once they'd landed, pointing over to a large dirt pile a small distance from the tent.

Goku nodded in understanding. "I see."

The smaller boy looked like he was about to burst into tears, and Kagome bent down to give him a hug. "He'll be back before you know it," she promised gently.

Upa sniffled and squeezed her back tightly, but nodded. "I know."

The young fighter walked a short ways away and tugged the off his backpack, opening it up and dumping the dragon balls out onto the ground with an eager grin. The jewels rolled out, pulsing with a soft orange light.

"Are you ready to call the dragon, Upa?" Goku questioned excitedly. "Kagome?"

"O... kay..." the younger child gulped, hiding behind a tree.

Kagome walked up to stand with her partner, keeping a cautious eye on the balls as their power swelled up around the three. Judging by that monstrous ki, the dragon just might be strong enough to bring Bora back after all.

"Let's do it," she agreed determinedly.

The older boy nodded and took a couple of deep breaths, then opened his mouth wide. "Eternal Dragon!" He shouted, his voice loud enough to echo. "We have a wish!"

At the surge in the energy around them, the priestess was abruptly reminded of the few times she'd seen Sesshoumaru taking his true form. It was like an _explosion_ , and the part of her that was the Shikon expanded its own ki to full-blast in an instinctual effort to either earn this potential threat's respect or at least inform it that she wouldn't go down without a fight.

It was making her jittery as hell, and the dragon hadn't even made an appearance yet.

"I think it's working," Goku announced beside her a bit nervously.

She followed his gaze upwards, feeling her eyes go wide as she saw the thick layer of storm clouds roiling in what had previously been a clear blue sky. Thunder and lightning flashed down around them in wide blue arks, glancing off of the tower itself over and over as the earth began to shake beneath their feet.

Finally, a massive bolt seared through the air and struck the now rapidly flashing dragon balls, exploding in a shower of sparks that had her covering her eyes - and then the ki finally reached a height that made her knees shake. She glanced back up just in time to see those same orange sparks solidifying and shooting back towards the sky in a cluster of seven long, serpentine shapes that she recognized immediately.

"It's so bright!" Goku gasped as Upa screamed.

The streams twined together, forming a single outline and solidifying.

"I didn't know it would be this big," the young fighter gulped.

"That thing's gonna bring my dad back?" The smaller boy shook.

Deep green scales became visible through the electric haze as it coiled up in the space just above the balls, and red eyes set in a horned and whiskered face turned to pin them all with an incomprehensible gaze.

It would seem that the dragon had arrived.

xxxx

Goku gulped. Was it just him, or had the dragon been smaller last time?

"Why have you disturbed my slumber?" An impossibly deep voice rumbled.

"He seems mad," Upa whimpered.

The older boy really thought that his heart would stop when the dragon suddenly turned its entire attention onto Kagome.

"A fellow wish-granter?" The dragon spoke again, sounding surprised.

The priestess met the fathomless red gaze without flinching, but Goku could tell from the stiffness of her shoulders that she was nervous. "Yes, my lord," she agreed simply.

The dragon studied her for a long, nerve-wracking moment before coiling a bit tighter in on himself and shifting so that his face was directly in front of her. "Your name, little one?"

"Kagome, my lord," she bowed.

He gave a surprisingly quiet hum of acknowledgement. "I am known as Shenron," he responded. "How curious. Why is it that I have been called upon when your own strength would have sufficed?"

She drew in a shuddering breath. "I'm afraid that my power is nowhere near yours, Lord Shenron. In order to grant a wish without it being tainted, my body would be burned to ashes."

His massive head tilted curiously. "You are bound to the mortal planes by flesh?"

The girl nodded, blue eyes turning silver. When she spoke again, there was a bell-like ring to her voice that sent a shiver up Goku's spine. "Immune to time, but not to death," she told the giant being calmly. "Should I live a few hundred years, perhaps I would grow into powers not unlike your own - but as things stand, my lord, I am but a child compared to your strength."

The dragon nodded in understanding. "You are still young," he agreed. "It is good that you have come to me, then. Speak your wish."

Kagome turned to Upa, an almost cold smile on her lips that was nothing like her usual one, and gestured the younger boy over. "The wish belongs to this one," she explained to the dragon as the child inched nervously towards her.

For a moment, Upa looked like he wanted to run away - but the priestess caught him by the shoulder and held him in place.

"Tell him," Goku encouraged when the other boy just shook. "Tell him your wish."

The shaking only increased. "B-but..."

"Speak up, human," the dragon rumbled impatiently.

The young fighter sighed, seeing that his friend didn't seem to be in any state to say what needed to be said. "I'll tell him," he murmured, trying not to be disappointed in the smaller boy. He turned his gaze back up to meet pure red eyes. "Hey, dragon!"

"Wait!" Upa burst out. "I can do it!"

"Then hurry up and do so," Kagome demanded with a frown. "Lord Shenron is already using a great deal of energy merely to sustain his form in this realm."

The smaller boy winced, turning determined black eyes up to the dragon's own. "M-my apologies," he stuttered, obviously taking the priestess's cue and speaking more respectfully. "Please... Please help me. Please bring my father back to life!" He requested desperately, his hands clenched together just below his chin.

Goku took a half-step forward, a hopeful smile tugging at his lips. "So... can you do it?" He questioned.

The dragon huffed. "Yes," it rumbled, "I can. Your wish is granted."

The young fighter grinned brightly and turned to his smaller friend. "See?" He beamed. "I told you there was nothing to worry about! He just _seems_ a little scary!"

Upa nodded happily in agreement, and Kagome's cold smile became a bit more real as the dragon's eyes flashed. Another bold of lightning hit Bora's grave with a sharp crack, and the dirt began to shift around immediately.

"Go to him," the priestess ordered, giving the younger boy a small push.

One step turned into two, and soon Upa was running - right in time for Bora to push up out of the dirt and to his feet with an uncertain look on his face.

The boy immediately babbled happily and latched onto the man.

"Thank you, Lord Shenron," Kagome spoke quietly, giving the dragon another bow.

"You have my thanks as well," Bora added in also, his voice hoarse with disuse and his son clutched tightly against his chest.

The giant creature just stared down at them blankly. "Your wish has been fulfilled," he rumbled out. "I take my leave."

Then with a flash of light he turned into that same orange electricity as before and bolted back up towards the sky, disappearing into the clouds and leaving behind only the seven dragon balls hanging in the air.

"Now where's number four..." Goku murmured, his eyes sharp.

After all that trouble to get back his grandpa's memento, as Kagome kept calling it, there was no way he was letting it slip out of his grasp again. He spotted it quickly, and - knowing what had happened to the dragon balls last time the eternal dragon had been called on and fearing that he was already too late when they started glowing again - jumped up to grab it before it could shoot off to who-knew-where like the others.

Almost immediately after the six free dragon balls all darted off in different directions, the sky was clear again.

His feet touched back down on the ground, and Goku felt like cheering.

He'd known everything would work out!

xxxx

"Goku!" Upa yelped, rushing up to the older boy worriedly. "Are you okay? Why did you do that?"

Kagome just shook her head and gave a wry smile, the last bits of the silvery mist finally receding from her vision. That had definitely been an interesting conversation, that was for sure; she was just glad that Lord Shenron had granted the smaller child's wish. She hadn't been fully certain that it was even possible after Bora had been dead for so long, but there stood the man right next to her - alive and healthy if not still a little disoriented.

She was glad to be proven wrong.

"I knew the dragon balls would be scattered all over the world right after the wish was made," she heard her partner explaining to their tiny friend. "I had to get Grandpa's four-star ball before I lost it! But look at it," he prompted, holding out what looked like a simple, perfectly round rock.

"What happened?" Upa wondered, looking stunned.

"After the dragon appears, the balls become regular stones for one whole year!" Goku said, tucking it away in his shirt. "That way no one can find them and the dragon can rest."

The priestess wasn't too surprised. After all the power that he'd used to bring Bora back, Lord Shenron definitely deserved a nice, long nap in whichever realm he called home for a little while to get his strength back.

He probably wouldn't sleep the whole year, but she didn't begrudge him the reprieve.

"Goku," Bora spoke up, smiling quietly the whole while. "Kagome. I do not know how to thank you."

The young fighter laughed. "You just did, silly!"

Kagome chuckled and nodded in agreement, moving to stand beside her partner as the man shook his head with fond exasperation.

"Someday, I will find a way to repay you," he vowed, reaching down to shake both of their hands. "If you ever need help, please come find me."

"Father!" Upa called excitedly, finally acting more relaxed now that he had his dad back. The kid looked like he was about to start _bouncing_. "Goku and Kagome made it all the way to the top of Korin's Tower!" He reported with a grin. "Not only that, but they beat that bad man who hurt you, too!"

Bora blinked, stunned, but his expression quickly shifted into a happily surprised smile. "You are both gifts from the stars, young ones," he declared proudly.

The partners shared an amused glance. Kagome didn't really feel as though they deserved so much praise for doing what was only right, and it was easy to see in the boy's eyes that he felt the same.

Upa made a distressed little noise in the back of his throat. "You're going _already_?"

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Bora checked. "I'll prepare a feast!"

Goku shook his head. "Thanks, but our friends are waiting for us."

"Well," the priestess corrected wryly when she saw the father and son wilt just a bit, "our _other_ friends, at least. But we did tell them we'd be right back."

The two smiled, successfully calmed.

"We'll come visit sometime," Kagome promised, accepting a tight hug from the little boy as her partner called for Nimbus.

"Take care of each other!" Upa shouted after them as the pair climbed up onto the cloud and lifted into the air once more. "Be careful and don't stay away for too long, okay!" His arm fell back to his side and he sniffled, his recently-revived father gently patting his back to sooth him. "Farewell, my friends..."

With the goodbyes threatening to draw out tears already in the smaller child's eyes, the two partners each gave one final wave and took off back to Baba's.

xxxx

It didn't take long at all before they had returned to Baba's Palace once more, and Krillin immediately started questioning them before they'd even landed.

"You're back!" The bald boy declared. "What happened? Did the eternal dragon help Upa's dad?"

"Or as they used to say, 'hello'," Kagome huffed wryly.

The older apprentice blushed. "Hello," he amended. "But did it work?"

Goku grinned and held out two of his fingers in a 'V'. "Oh, yeah!" He assured. "It was a piece of cake!"

"Yay!" Krillin cheered. "Good job!"

"I bet they were really happy to see each other," Yamcha grinned as the pair finally hopped off of Nimbus.

"Yeah!" The younger boy nodded happily, proud of their work.

"You did good, kids," Master Roshi praised.

Pu'ar floated over to them. "After all this time, you finally collected all the dragon balls!" She chirped.

"Tough break that you'll have to wait a whole year before you can find your grandpa's keepsake again, isn't it?" Bulma commiserated.

Goku grinned. "Wait!" He requested, reaching into his shirt and digging around for the rock that the jewel had become. "No," he explained, pulling it out and showing it to them, "I caught the four-star ball before it had a chance to fly off!"

"That must have been one nice catch," the younger of the girls blinked, impressed.

"Does this mean you won't be looking for the dragon balls anymore?" Krillin wondered.

"That's right," the younger apprentice agreed. "I think I'll start training for the next martial arts tournament now!"

"That reminds me!" Yamcha spoke up eagerly. "Guess what? I'm training, too! With you guys, under Master Roshi - he agreed to take me on as a student!"

"We'll have so much fun!" Goku grinned excitedly.

"Yeah," the older boy chuckled. "A complete training refresher, right from the beginning!"

Bulma sighed. "I guess that's okay. Just don't pick up any of his bad habits!" She warned with a slight glare.

Master Roshi turned to her, confused. "Goku doesn't - oh wait, you're talking about me aren't you," he realized.

"That's great!" The youngest fighter laughed. "Master, we can train together, right?"

The old hermit sighed and stared down at him. "That's a bad idea," he negated, catching the boy off guard. "You're already exceptionally well-trained," the man explained. "Don't you want to try and grow stronger now?"

Goku didn't understand. "Sure," he agreed slowly. "Of course I want to get stronger, Master..."

"Then I can be of no more use to you, son," Roshi apologized. "You've officially outgrown my teachings; it's time for you to set out on your own and learn from the adventure of life! There are many things to see in this vast world, and they can only truly be experienced in person. Go wander, my boy! And keep your eyes peeled. There are endless opportunities out there for you."

The youngest disciple stared up at him for a moment before laughing. "You lost me!" He admitted, causing the old man to fall over himself. "Can you start over?"

"Actually," Kagome spoke up a bit sheepishly, "I was going to request something along those lines as well. What would you say to traveling with me, Goku?"

The boy blinked up at her. "Huh?"

"Well, I still have to find Suzumiya," she explained with a sigh. "If you wanted to go back to your training, that's fine - and if you want to split up, I understand. I was just hoping that we would stick together a while longer, and it's not like hunting down the stupid pheasant won't include a fight or two along the way..."

Goku gaped at her for a second before breaking into a wide grin. "Of course!"

Master Roshi yelped. "Er, actually, I was going to offer Kagome a place to stay with me-"

"I guess we should leave soon, then," the priestess stated, talking over the hermit. "You'll want to be back in time for this tournament thing, right?"

The boy nodded eagerly. "Yeah! And we can both join this time!"

She smiled. "Sounds good."

"W-wait!" Krillin burst in. "You're saying we won't see you again for five years?!"

Kagome just blinked. "Er... is that when it is?"

"No, no," the old man spoke up again, this time actually drawing all of their gazes. "The tournament is in three years!" He corrected. "They've drawn so many new participants that they're holding it every three years from now on.

Goku tugged on his partner's hand to get her attention. "Will that be long enough?"

She smiled and nodded. "Should be."

He beamed. "It's a deal!" He announced, looking back to his Master happily. "We'll meet you guys at the tournament gates!"

"But that's so long," his fellow discipline objected sadly. "Couldn't we have a reunion or something before the tournament?"

"Don't worry," Goku assured. "The time will fly!"

"I'll be so much stronger in the ring next time that you won't even recognize me!" Yamcha vowed excitedly.

The younger boy laughed. "Listen to Master Roshi and you're bound to get better!"

"Promise us you'll be careful out there!" Pu'ar chimed in.

"Don't worry about us," Kagome chuckled. "You just keep this idiot in line, huh?"

The ex-bandit growled at her.

Goku turned to Bulma next. "Do you think three years is enough time for you to get happy?" He wondered.

It was the blue-haired girl's turn to snarl. "What are you trying to say?!" She shrieked.

Krillin moved over and elbowed his friend playfully. "Know what? I'll be a lot taller by the time I see you again," he teased. "Maybe even taller than you!"

The younger fighter just laughed. "I wouldn't count on that. I'll grow too, you know!"

"As fun as all this is, we should probably be on our way now," Kagome spoke up with an apologetic smile.

The boy nodded in understanding and they finished up their goodbyes quickly.

Walking a short ways away, Goku took a deep breath and opened his mouth. "Nimb-!"

"No cloud!" Roshi immediately interrupted, pointing his cane at him. "Just feet. You won't get any stronger if you rely on any help outside yourself! Run, swim - do whatever it takes to get around on your own."

The younger fighter squawked. "What?!" He panicked. "We're supposed to travel the world on foot?!"

Kagome sighed. "Damn it," she complained. "I thought I was done walking everywhere."

Goku stared up at her for a second, taking in the fact that she didn't actually seem afraid or anything - just a bit annoyed. He remembered from her story that it wouldn't be the first time she'd done something like this, and that made him relax a little bit.

Well, it wasn't as if he was going to be alone in this.

"Okay!" He finally announced, nodding determinedly and turning to start jogging away. "See ya!"

His partner was already right next to him, easily keeping up with his speed.

"So," she chuckled. "Where should we start?"

He thought it over for a moment before shooting her a grin. "Forward!" He declared.

They both burst into peals of laughter, and forward they went.

xxxx

A/N: Urk! Over a month late?! I can't believe I let time get away from me this badly... I'm so, so sorry for the delay, everyone. On the bright side, I actually broke down and bought all of the DVDs for DB, so I'll be able to go ahead and get everything put together more quickly. (Once I get my ass in gear, at least.)

Alright! Extra long chapter for your forbearance, and I should have more out soon. Again, sorry for the delay and thank you very much for your patience.


	25. Epilogue

Kagome sighed, propping her chin against a hand as she watched Goku training off to the side. She was supposed to be doing the same thing, actually; they'd gotten into a routine where she would meditate for an hour every morning while he did his own thing, and then they would spar together until lunch. After lunch she would run through the katas drilled into her by Sesshoumaru and he would work on the ones he'd learned from his grandpa, and then they would work on strength or speed or stamina depending on what they felt like that day.

That's what they'd been doing for the last six and a half months near as she could tell, and she was starting to get a bit bored of the monotony. Not that it wasn't fun - her partner seemed to have a knack for making her laugh and just _enjoy_ life no matter what they were doing, after all. Still, she couldn't help but think that maybe...

Making up her mind, she uncrossed her legs and stood up, taking a languid stretch as Goku stopped doing his squats (with a boulder bigger than he was held over his head, the crazy kid) and shot her a curious look.

"You're already done?" He questioned, head tilted to one side like an adorable cowlick-covered puppy.

She smiled impishly. "We're going into town today."

Big black eyes grew wide, the boulder falling unsupported beside him. "Huh?"

"Come on!" The priestess declared, moving over to their campsite from the night before and collecting their things. She shot him her brightest grin and held his backpack out to him by the strap. "We never even celebrated either of our birthdays, I say we're owed a break! We can train more tomorrow - for right now, I say we just go play for a while!"

A mirroring grin slowly overcame the boy's face and he ran over to join her, accepting his bag and taking her hand in his as he pulled her into a run. "Let's go!" He laughed.

She squealed out an excited giggle of her own and evened out beside him.

xxxx

"Ooooh!" Kagome gasped happily, her blue eyes wide and innocent as they took in their surroundings. She turned to meet his gaze, a massive grin stretching her cheeks and seeming to light her up from within. "A festival, Goku! This was the _perfect_ day for a break!"

His heart stuttered a bit, and he smiled back just as brightly.

He loved it when she was completely happy like this, all the weight falling away from her shoulders like it had never even been there in the first place. It was like watching her powers peeking out from behind the shields she kept them hidden behind, like she was _glowing_ with that familiar silvery light despite there being no fight to rush into.

"Let's go here first!" He declared, tugging her towards a nearby vendor and trying to ignore the heat rising to his face. That had been happening a lot more lately, and he still didn't understand it - but he knew that it wasn't _bad_ , this feeling.

It was warm and tingly all the way to his toes, and kinda bubbly in his chest, and there was a weird lightness the pit of his stomach; light, but not like hunger. It was a full sort of empty, and he didn't really understand that either. Still, he thought that he liked it. As confusing as this all was, it made him feel wonderful in a way that he'd never even imagined.

And he _knew_ that it was because of his partner.

They tried on some of the different masks on display and laughed themselves silly, finally getting Kagome a dog one and Goku a monkey one similar to the one his grandpa had worn at Baba's Palace. The priestess even changed into one of her different outfits at one point that he hadn't seen her wear until then, looking really pretty in the blue and gold 'yukata' - and the boy found himself holding her hand just a bit tighter when some of the villagers stared at her a little too long.

He didn't understand why it made him so angry; he just didn't like the way they looked at her, like she was some juicy piece of meat and they were downright starving And anyway, it made Kagome laugh when the thirteen-year-old stuck his tongue out at the group and then dragged her back off to go find some dinner.

The pair spent all day darting from stall to stall, sampling all the food that the village had to offer and playing every game they came across. It wasn't exactly a big festival, but the sun was already setting by the time they slowed down.

The priestess gave a contented sigh, her fingers squeezing his own as they took a rest near the food cart they'd both agreed was the best out of all the others. "It was a good day," she murmured, her smile warm and a bit sleepy as she started up at the darkening sky. "I haven't had that much fun in a long time."

He just grinned and agreed with her, nodding his head happily. "Me, too!"

They both sat there for a while longer, enjoying their comfortable bubble of quiet in the sea of voices as people continued to rush place to place around them - and then there was a loud cracking noise that made him jump, and Kagome gasped in delight.

"Fireworks!" She declared excitedly, pointing up and drawing his attention to where a shower of sparks was already beginning to fade.

He gaped at the bright white and red lights, giving a soft "Oooh" of awe. "Beautiful..."

The priestess nodded in agreement, both of them watching raptly as another firework shot up into the air behind its predecessor.

Kagome explained them to him quietly, told him what fireworks were and how they were used at festivals a lot where she came from - murmured about how much people enjoyed them. Then with a somewhat wistful smile, she told him about the shrine where she'd been born. About some of the much smaller festivals that she'd grown up helping to prepare for.

He watched her animated face as the lights exploded above them, captivated by the play of colors that washed over her.

Cheeks feeling hot again, he glanced away - and almost squawked when he saw a couple hiding together in the shadow of the nearby balloon stall. They were holding each other, and kissing, and he felt like he probably shouldn't have seen that as he quickly turned his eyes back to his partner.

Unable to help it, he recalled back when he'd kissed her that once. It had already been a long time since then, and they'd never talked about it again, but he found himself thinking about how soft she had felt.

... Oh. Is that what he had been feeling?

Face burning, he curled his free hand in his shirt over his pounding heart as he looked down at his lap and the mask resting on it.

He _big_ -liked her, didn't he?

Oh, gosh. Now what was he supposed to do about that?

xxxx

A/N: Okay, so that's the end for now! Life has been perpetually kicking my ass since my last update, and it's been really hard to sit back down and work on this story. Therefore, I've decided it would be better to go ahead and list it as 'complete', then come back to it when the dust settles again and get to work on a sequel that spans the rest of DB. I'm sorry if this disappoints people, but there it is. Thank you all so much for your patience and your support.

-Opal


End file.
